Pocket Full of Posies
by HumansRSuperior
Summary: Takes place six months after PKW. Crichton and Aeryn return to Moya after a trip to a commerce planet to find that Moya has been attacked by the Scarrans, and their infant son D'Argo taken hostage. John and Aeryn follow after the Scarrans in hopes of savi
1. Chapter 1

**Title:** Pocket Full of Posies  
**Rating: **PG-13  
**Beta:** Peacekeeper Scum  
**Time Period: **Six months after PKW  
**Chapter Total:** 10  
**Author's Note:** Hey everybody! Unless of course something happens (example: my older brother hogs the computer selfishly every day of the week) that prevents me from doing so (this is unlikely to happen). Now, on to the important note (below).

**VERY IMPORTANT - PLEASE READ!**

I'm doing something a little different with this story. You might have noticed that the first chapter number is **10** rather than **1**. Allow me to explain. Clears throat I have decided to number the chapters backwards - no, this does _not_ mean that you are reading the story backwards; it merely means that it's counting _down_ instead of _up._ The idea of doing this is to give the readers an understanding of how far along they are in the story and how close they are getting to the end - sort of like a countdown. So the first chapter is 10, and ends on 1. Make sense? I hope it's not too confusing. When I post a new chapter, I will title the thread something like "Pocket Full of Posies - New Chapter (date)" or something rather (like today would be 9/19, it'll be that). Cause I figure, if I put "Pocket Full of Posies - Part 8" then it will confuse late readers. Gosh, I hope I'm not confusing anybody right now...

Okay, so this story has been in the works pretty much the minute I finished the last chapter of 'The Nebari Factor' way back in early June. This story is very near completion; I am working on the last chapter as we speak. Yes, that means that most of this story is already written - 10 chapters in total. So never fear! I will have a chapter up every week! Anyways, I will have this note posted in every chapter for new comers or to remind others. So, now, enough talk, on with the story. I most certainly hope you all find it interesting enough to tune in next week. New chapters will be posted every Wednesday (may sometimes be a different day if I am unable to access the computer). Anyhoot! Here we go.

Oh yeah, and incase any of you forgot where the term Pocket Full of Posies comes from: _Ring around the rosies, pocket full of posies, ashes, ashes, we all fall down._

**10**

Crichton had grown to hate heat with a passion. It had become his greatest fear, his biggest annoyance, the provocation of anger. He wasn't even Sebacean, but Humans were susceptible to intense heat as well. And _they_ knew that.

He had lost track of time. He wasn't sure if it had been hours, days, or weeks. And at some point he had lost interest and he didn't even care anymore.

He hadn't eaten since...however long he's been in here. But it didn't really matter, his throat was too parched to swallow. He didn't even feel the hunger that was gnawing at his stomach. The boiling air took his mind off that.

The only good thing about all this was that the figure beside Crichton was suffering far more than he was. The creature lay sprawled on the floor, convulsing and panting heavily, spitting thick saliva and foam into the air, the bloody, steaming rod protruding from his head.

"C-C-Cricht-ton..." the creature gasped raspily. "I c-can help-p yo-ou."

"You can't even help yourself, Grasshopper," Crichton said, his voice hoarse and slow.

Scorpius grabbed Crichton's leg. "A-Aer-yn-n...sh-she is h-here..."

"I know that, Scorpy, shut up," Crichton snarled weakly, and he pulled his leg away from the hybrid's hand.

"They will k-kill her!"

"No they won't, they need her as a bargaining chip. Now shut up," Crichton said, his voice carrying more venom.

He shut his eyes and tried to block off the half-breed's heavy panting. He had given up trying to ignore the scorching, stale air. It had been easy in the beginning, but now it was no longer possible. When they had first thrown him in here it had only been stuffy. But over the hours the subtle warmth had gradually increased. It probably still was.

His thoughts wandered to Aeryn, where they had been for the majority of his time spent in his cell. He didn't know where _they_ were keeping her or what they were doing to her; he just hoped that she wasn't being subjected to heat like he was. He told himself that she couldn't be. _They_ knew better than that, that Sebaceans would overheat and die from such intense temperature levels. And _they_ needed her alive.

Crichton didn't know why they needed her; they already had D'Argo. He had given them exactly what they wanted for his son's safety. Perhaps they just wished to use all he held dear, the things he loved most, to gain the most advantage. Or maybe they just wanted to make him suffer the most he possibly could; that would be in their nature.

His mind left Aeryn and he began to wonder for the hundredth time what had possessed him to do what they had asked. The answer was always the same, no matter what reasoning he would use. _They_ had taken something precious to him, to both him and Aeryn, and he had wanted it back. Aeryn did too, he knew that, but she had used more logic than he had. She was always the clearer thinker in difficult situations.

He supposed it completed the set nicely; he had bombed and killed for his wife, then he handed _them_ the ultimate source of their power for his son. In the end he got nothing in return, it was all taken from him instead, and he was thrown in a cell with the devil.

The heat was making his mind fuzzy again. That happened when he thought too much. He swallowed, which he immediately regretted because it caused his throat to flare with pain. He didn't move to wipe the burning sweat out of his eyes; he was too weak and tired.

The overheating creature beside him continued to squirm pathetically on the ground, but Crichton could barely sense its presence anymore. His mind seemed to have clouded with a heavy fog, and the events of the last days, perhaps weeks, began to replay through his mind - from the very beginning.

* * *

Aeryn jumped out of her prowler, her pulse pistol ready in her hand. Crichton climbed out beside her; once his feet hit the floor, he reached down and pulled Wynona from her holster. 

"We stay together," Aeryn ordered as her eyes scanned the surroundings.

"Wouldn't have it any other way," Crichton said.

"We look for Chiana or Noranti first."

"What about D'Argo?"

"He'll be with one of them."

"Right," Crichton said with a nod. "Let's move then."

Crichton followed Aeryn as she cautiously made her way through Moya's corridors. Both of them had their pulse pistols up, ready for anything.

"Crichton! Aeryn!"

They both whirled around, ready for action, but froze once they saw Chiana. She looked bad; there were scratches and bruises all over her face, and blue blood was smeared across her cheek.

"Pip, are you okay?" Crichton asked, taking in her appearance. "What happened?"

The Nebari looked panicked. Her eyes were darting back and forth between Crichton and Aeryn, wide and alert. She was moving her feet around constantly and clutching a pulse rifle in her hands.

"Chiana, it's okay," Aeryn said. She was trying to be comforting but her voice was stern. "Tell us what happened."

Chiana swallowed hard. "Th-they came a-and they attacked us."

"Who's 'they?'" Crichton asked.

"S-Scarrans," answered Chiana, her voice quivering.

Fear and dread pitted in Crichton's stomach, and he exchanged glances with Aeryn.

"What were they doing here? What did they want?" asked Aeryn.

Chiana's eyes shifted over to Crichton. "Th-they were looking f-for you. A-and when they c-couldn't find you, they..." She stopped, fear bright in her eyes.

"They what, Chiana?" Crichton pressed.

The Nebari just stared at him, standing completely still, her cat-eyes still filled with fear. "They...they took the little guy...little Crichton."

For a moment there was only silence as Crichton and Aeryn just stared at Chiana. Then Aeryn exploded in anger.

"What the _frell_ is the matter with you, Chiana?" she snapped. "John and I leave to pick up supplies for less than an arn and we come back and D'Argo's _gone!_ We trusted you, Chiana! You were supposed to protect him!"

"I _tried_, Aeryn!" Chiana shrieked, snapping her head in Aeryn's direction. "I did every frelling thing I could, but there were too many and they were too strong!"

"Why did they take him? Why were they looking for John?" Aeryn asked harshly.

Chiana shook her head. "I don't...I don't know. B-but Pilot says they left some coordinates or something," she said, looking over at Crichton.

Crichton wasn't really paying attention to what Chiana was saying. His thoughts were on the Scarrans and his son. Cold fear was pumping through his veins and his throat felt tight. Scarrans had his child. D'Argo was with the Scarrans.

Anger suddenly clicked inside him, flaring in his chest, and without a glance at Chiana or his wife, he spun around on his heel and charged off down the corridor.

"John!" Aeryn called after him. She ran up beside him and easily kept up with him. "John, where are you going?"

"To talk to Pilot."

Neither of them said another word as they quickly made their way to Pilot's den. Crichton squeezed through the door before it even fully swiveled open and stormed across the catwalk over to Pilot's console.

"Commander Crichton, Officer Sun," Pilot acknowledged their entrance, turning to face them. "I have some bad news - "

"We know, Pilot," Crichton interrupted, stopping at the edge of the console. "What did the Scarrans want with me?" he asked darkly.

"I'm afraid I do not know," Pilot answered regrettably. "However, they left a set of coordinates and asked that I give them to you."

"Why? Where do they lead to?" Aeryn asked.

"I'm afraid I don't know that either, Officer Sun," Pilot said.

Crichton worked his jaw in frustration and anger. The Scarrans couldn't find him, so they took D'Argo. He wasn't sure if they did it because they wanted him to follow them, or because they wanted his son for some other reason. The thought made him shudder. He turned from Pilot's console and cursed sharply. Letting out a deep sigh, he placed one hand on his hip and the other over his eyes.

"What do you want to do?" Aeryn asked him.

He didn't answer her immediately; he slid his hand down to his mouth and stroked his lip ponderously with his thumb. Then, opening his eyes, he said, "I'll go."

"You're going to go after them?" she asked.

"I don't have a choice, Aeryn. They have our son."

Aeryn walked over beside him, looking hard into his face. "I'm coming with you."

Crichton dropped his hand and turned to face her. "Aeryn - "

"Don't argue with me, John!" she barked. "D'Argo's my son, too! And I'm not letting you go by yourself!"

He stared at her, trying to come up with an argument, but he could think of none. He might as well just let her come, he knew he wanted her to.

"Fine," he sighed. "Pilot, we're leaving ASAP. Once we get out, send us the coordinates."

"Yes Commander."

Once Crichton and Aeryn made it back to the corridor, they headed for their quarters, walking swiftly.

"Why would the Scarrans be looking for you?" asked Aeryn.

"I dunno."

"Do you think it has anything to do with wormholes?" she asked tentatively.

Crichton's stomach curled at the cursed word and he clamped his teeth down hard. "I'll be frelled if it does," he growled.

As soon as they got to their room, Aeryn grabbed more chakken oil cartridges while Crichton tore off his leather jacket and grabbed his trench coat. He glanced at his wife, saw she was ready, and headed for the door. He nearly collided with Rygel.

"Crichton!" the Hynerian gasped in a panic. The flesh on his face looked red and burnt, and scorch marks were on his clothes. "The Scarrans! They took the baby!"

"We know, Buckwheat, get outta the way," Crichton said as he pushed passed the Hynerian.

Rygel frowned angrily and lowered his earbrows. "After all the effort I made to come down here and tell you...this is how I am treated! Frelling welnitz!" He turned his throne-sled and whizzed off grumbling.

Crichton anxiously tapped his fingers on Wynona as he walked to the hangar, Aeryn at his side. All he could think about was that his little tadpole was in the hands of the Scarrans, and it scared him to no end. It was making his hands shake and he tapped on Wynona with more vigor.

Aeryn and Crichton halted abruptly when Noranti ran out into the corridor, blocking their path. She didn't look any better than Rygel, with red hot marks across her face. "The child!" she wailed. "The child has been taken!"

"We _know!_" Crichton shouted irritably; his patience was wearing thin very quickly.

He firmly pushed her out of the way and Aeryn followed. They ignored Noranti's panicked rambling as they rounded a corner and finally came to hangar bay door.

"We'll take my module," Crichton said as he strode over to the _Farscape One_.

Aeryn glanced longingly at her prowler. "My prowler would be safer," she said.

"I know," he said as he grabbed the scanner for a quick checkup. "But incase the Iguanas want wormholes..." His voice died and he clamped his mouth shut.

"What would it matter? You don't know anything about wormholes anymore," she firmly reminded him.

"I know, but..." He sighed. "Aeryn, just go with me on this, please."

Aeryn stood still and watched him as he ran the scanner over his primitive vessel. "Do you really think we'll need it?"

Crichton paused for a second, then said softly, "I hope not."

* * *

"We're all set, Pilot. Send the coordinates," Crichton said. 

"_Yes Commander_," Pilot's voice came over the comms channel.

Crichton flipped a few switches, checked some readings, pressed a couple buttons. Moya was floating close by outside his cockpit window and he watched her sorrowfully. There was a tight feeling in the pit of his stomach that he wouldn't be seeing the leviathan for a while.

The console in front of him beeped, drawing his attention. The coordinates were displayed across the small screen to his right.

"Where is it?" Aeryn asked from behind, peering over his shoulder.

"It's not too far from here," Crichton replied as he studied the screen. "Thanks, Pilot," he called into the comms, looking back up longingly at Moya.

"_Of course, Commander. Moya and I wish you safety on your journey_."

Crichton smiled wanly. "Thanks man."

"_Hey old man?_" Chiana's voice crackled over the comms.

"Yeah Pip?"

"_Be...be careful, okay? And...and come back soon_."

"We'll be back before you know it," said Crichton half-heartedly. "Take care of Moya and Pilot."

Planting his hand on the piloting controls, he reached up and punched on the engine. The small ship jolted slightly with ignition. Crichton looked at Moya one last time before placing both hands on the steering controls and making a sharp turn in the opposite direction.

His mind made a quick transition from sorrowful to determined. He squeezed the flight controls with a tight grasp as he stared at the stars ahead. _Don't worry, Little D_, he thought. _Daddy's coming to get you_.

* * *

"John, are you sure you know where you're going?" Aeryn asked for the umpteenth time, her voice carrying impatience and suspicion. 

Crichton had tried not to get irritated with her; he knew she was as anxious and worried as he was. But his patience had finally worn out.

"For the hundredth time, Aeryn, I know what I'm doing," he said irritably.

"It's been well over an arn, John!" Aeryn hissed. "You said it wasn't far from Moya!"

Crichton glanced at the small screen displaying the coordinates and he mumbled, "Well Honey, it's taking a little longer."

He half expected her to demand they stop and ask for directions.

"We should have taken my prowler," she huffed. "We would have gotten there a long time ago."

"Well, this _is_ a primitive vessel, and I _am_ just a weak and inferior Human," Crichton said sarcastically.

"This isn't primitive, this is a piece of dren. Can't it go any faster?"

Crichton gritted his teeth in uprising anger. "I'm going as fast as I can, Aeryn."

She snorted.

"Listen Aeryn, I'm just as worried about him as you are. But bitching at me isn't gonna get us there any faster."

He thought for sure he'd get clobbered or snapped at, but Aeryn was silent.

Lifting a sore, stiff hand from the piloting controls, Crichton gave his eyes a good scrub, then placed his hand back. They _had_ been in here for a while now, and being in his module for long periods of time always brought back unpleasant memories. And to make it worse, he and Aeryn had been bickering and fighting the entire time. Crichton knew they were both on edge, but it wasn't helping matters any.

All weariness suddenly vanished from his body and he sat up straight in his seat.

"John? What is it?" Aeryn asked.

Crichton squinted his eyes; when he was certain of what he was seeing, a cold and hard feeling settled in his stomach.

"John, what's the matter?"

He leaned back in his seat, his eyes still glued to the distant object. He should have known; he should have expected it. He didn't know why he hadn't.

"Two dreadnaughts and a striker," Aeryn murmured next to his ear, leaning over the seat to see out the cockpit.

"Which one do you think he's on?" Crichton asked quietly, more to himself than to Aeryn.

"The striker," she replied without hesitation.

Crichton's stomach had turned to lead, and all he could think was: _Little D's on that ship...D'Argo's on a Scarran striker...My son is being held captive by Scarrans...My four month old son is with the Scarrans..._

"_John!_" Aeryn's harsh voice snapped him back into reality.

"What?" Crichton asked dazedly. "What happened?"

A small beeping sound was coming from his console, drawing his eyes from the looming scarran striker. It was an incoming signal. For a second he just stared at it; then he hesitantly reached for the switch. He held his hand above it uncertainly, the soft beeping filling the small cockpit.

"Open the frelling comms channel!" Aeryn hissed.

Crichton broke out of his reverie and cleared his throat. "Uh...right," he said, and flipped the switch.

"_John Crichton_," a deep, throaty voice boomed through the comms.

"Yeah, I'm here," Crichton responded.

"_We welcome you warmly_," the Scarran said.

_Yeah right_, Crichton thought.

"_Emperor Staleek commands that you board his striker immediately_."

"Love to," Crichton replied, glaring out at the Scarran vessel.

* * *

"Hey Aeryn?" Crichton's voice was slightly trembling with nervousness, and his stomach was a bit unsettled as they drew ever closer to the Scarran vessel. 

"What, John?" She sounded like she was off somewhere else.

"Um..." He pursed his lips and swallowed hard. "I'm...I'm glad you came with me."

He felt like such a wimp. He reasoned with himself that he would not be this scared if his son wasn't on board, being held prisoner of the Scarrans. Yeah, that was it.

Aeryn made no response. The module jolted and clanked as it settled to the floor of the vast hangar. A large group of heavily armored Scarrans carrying weapons surrounded the ship; Crichton's insides churned and his heart pounded in his ears.

"John, open the hatch," Aeryn directed firmly.

"Yeah...Yeah, okay."

He glanced down at his thigh to make sure Wynona was still there before flipping the switch to open the cockpit. As the hatch slowly rose, Crichton stiffly pulled himself up. There were probably hundreds of scarrans surrounding his module; he suddenly felt very hot and his heart raced faster. Mentally kicking himself, he climbed out of the cockpit. His feet hit the floor, the loud _thud_ being the only sound in the hangar. Aeryn jumped out and landed next to him.

The crowd parted and a large Scarran in highly decorated armor approached them. "John Crichton," he greeted. "And Officer Aeryn Sun. We welcome you."

"Where's D'Argo?" Aeryn demanded coldly.

The Scarran pretended not to hear. "Come with me. The Emperor is waiting to see you."

Crichton thought for sure that Aeryn would protest and demand to see D'Argo. But instead she inhaled deeply and nodded.

"Right then," Crichton said as he looked from his wife to the Scarran. "Let's all go see Emperor Sleezestack."

* * *

All the world around Crichton disappeared and his brain function short circuited when he spotted his son on a table with Staleek bent over him. 

"John Crichton," Staleek greeted slowly, turning to face him. "We meet again."

"What the hell are you doing with my son?" Crichton growled, his eyes glued to his smiling child.

Staleek smiled and looked back down at D'Argo. "We were just getting to know each other." He held out a clawed finger and D'Argo giggled, happily wrapping his tiny hand around it.

"Don't you frelling touch him!" Aeryn snapped.

The surrounding guards immediately pointed their weapons directly at Crichton and Aeryn.

"_Honey_..." Crichton growled quietly.

Staleek pulled his finger away from the baby and looked back over at Crichton. "You were not on the leviathan."

"So you took my kid. You could've just left a note," Crichton said darkly. "What do you want, Staleek?"

The Emperor grinned again, and eased himself down into his throne. "I commend you for bringing the war between my species and the Peacekeepers to an end. But we have come to a problem."

"What, you've still got a lust for conquering planets and killing people?" Crichton said with a cock of his head.

"No," Staleek snarled. "You know of our Crystherium Utilia?"

Crichton stared at the Scarran blankly, racking his brain for that term.

"You destroyed our entire growth of it on Katratzi," the Emperor reminded him with a scowl.

"Oh...Bird of Paradise, right," Crichton nodded. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"You know of it's importance."

It suddenly hit Crichton ten fold. The flowers were the ultimate power source for the entire Scarran race. It was the base of their technology and their lives. And he had blown up the mother plant on Katratzi.

"Yeah, I remember," he murmured.

Staleek had a glint of anger in his reptilian eyes. "We have been searching for more of the Crystherium Utilia, but we have found no trace of them on any planet."

"So what?" Crichton said. He had a building fear of what this was about. _Please, God no, please, please, please..._

"It soon came to my mind that you knew well of our delicacy," Staleek recalled. His grin vanished and his eyes darkened with a sharp glare. "Your home planet grows the Crystherium Utilia."

"Just because he knew about it doesn't mean his home world has it," Aeryn chimed in.

Staleek's eyes shifted to Aeryn. "He had many names for it." His gaze darted back to Crichton. "Our Crystherium is the Scarran empire's highest secret. It is unlikely that Crichton would know of it unless his home world carried them."

"I _did_ have a little help in the education department on the flowers," Crichton pointed out.

"But you already knew what the plant was."

"No, I didn't know - "

Staleek thrust his hand out and a powerful ray of heat shot out towards Crichton's face. Crichton fell to his knees; Aeryn tried to help him but a guard grabbed her and held her back.

"Get - off - me!" Crichton growled through gritted teeth. He felt like he was about to overload; his face felt like it was on fire.

"Crystherium is on your planet, isn't it?" Staleek growled.

Crichton grunted, trying to fight against the powerful heat. He pursed his lips and tried to force out the word "no," but instead he said "Y-Yes."

Staleek pulled his hand back, ending the heat probe. Crichton keeled forward, but caught himself on his hands. Aeryn tore away from the Scarran guard and rushed over to her husband, kneeling down beside him.

"Are you all right?" she whispered to him, concern wrinkling her brow.

Crichton took a few deep breaths, then nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine."

Aeryn helped him back up to his feet, keeping her hands on him until she was sure he could stand. He wiped a hand down his face and glared over at Staleek.

"You will take us to your home planet," Staleek commanded.

"You wish," Crichton said breathlessly.

The Emperor rose from his throne and strode over to little D'Argo again. He smiled smugly down at the baby and lightly stroked its forehead with his thick fingers. Crichton clamped his teeth down hard and squeezed Wynona until his knuckles turned red.

"Your offspring is most fascinating, Crichton," Staleek said. "Half Sebacean, half Human. Both vulnerable to heat..."

D'Argo smiled up at Staleek and giggled, waving his arms in the air.

Crichton's stomach turned to ice and his breath caught in his chest. "Don't...don't touch him..."

"You will take us to your planet, or your child will suffer," Staleek scowled deeply.

Crichton stared at his son, who had his big, curious eyes glued to the scarran, beaming and laughing. D'Argo had no idea what was going on - he had no idea that the big lizard was a bad guy. It made Crichton's stomach lurch.

"I can't," he said weakly.

"You can't, or you won't?" Staleek snarled.

"The wormhole to Earth has been closed," Aeryn said. "Nobody can get there anymore."

"Crichton has an abundant knowledge of wormholes," said Staleek. "He will find a way."

Crichton shook his head. "No, I can't." He tore his eyes away from his son and looked up at the Emperor. "Stopping the wormhole weapon at the end of the war took it all outta me."

"That's not possible!" Staleek barked.

"You remember Einstein?" Crichton snapped. "Man of ultimate power? The guy who can wrap time around his finger? Froze you solid with a wave of his hand?" He flung his arm out wide in exaggerated imitation. "He took that crap out of my head!" he shouted as he pointed a finger at his temple. "I don't know _squat_ about wormholes anymore!"

For a moment, the Emperor only studied Crichton with sharp, gleaming eyes. "Then you will find a way to get it back."

"That's not possible," Crichton said with a shake of his head.

"You know this man, Ienstien. You can make him give the knowledge back to you."

"No, I _can't_," Crichton insisted loudly. "The only way to get to him is through a wormhole, and I can't go down a wormhole anymore! I can't even _find_ one!"

"YOU WILL FIND A WAY OR YOUR OFFSPRING WILL DIE!" Staleek roared, his gruff voice booming throughout the room.

Little D'Argo began to cry, wailing loudly and hiccuping. Both Crichton and Aeryn looked at their child longingly, wanting desperately to go to him and comfort him.

"Take that abomination out of here!" Staleek yelled, and a female Scarran rushed over and picked up the child.

Aeryn started forward but Crichton stopped her. "Aeryn...don't," he said softly.

Aeryn's eyes followed the female Scarran as she carried D'Argo from the room. Crichton reached for her hand and squeezed gently. His son's cries faded away, and once they completely disappeared, Crichton closed his eyes and swallowed hard.

* * *

Crichton awoke with his body twisted in a very uncomfortable position, his face pressed against the hot ground. His eyelids were heavy, and once he tried to open them, his head spun. He tried to swallow, but his throat was too parched for that anymore. His lips now felt shriveled; running his tongue over them did nothing but make them burn more. He shifted, trying to get his body out of the twisted position, and pain shot through his stiff limbs. He would have groaned, but his dry throat wouldn't allow it. 

His leather clothes felt scorching and tight. He wanted to take it all off, strip himself of it, but he was too weak to move much. His head was still spinning and his skin felt as though it were on fire. His eyes were starting to feel dry and they stung; his eyelids were too heavy to keep open anyways, so he let them fall shut.

Crichton realized that he could no longer hear the hybrid's panting. Opening his eyes again, he shifted his head enough to see the leather-clad body.

"Hey Grasshopper," Crichton rasped. It hurt immensely to talk, and his own voice frightened him. "You still alive?"

No response came from the half-breed.

Crichton nearly chuckled; the corners of his mouth twitched up. "You dead, Scorpy?" he slurred.

Scoripus still gave no response.

Crichton closed his eyes again. He didn't know what he was doing; he didn't give a damn about that bastard. Instead, he went back to thinking about what had happened. Was D'Argo still alive right now, or had _they_ killed him? And if he was alive, what were they doing with him? And Aeryn...What were they doing with her? Horrible images flashed through his mind and a shudder passed down his body. He wanted to go back and change it, to prevent all this. But he didn't know what he could've done differently.

Aeryn had warned him about this, but he hadn't listened. He had been too hard-headed to believe he couldn't save his son without sacrificing something greater. Looking back on it now, Crichton knew that deep down he had known that what Aeryn had said was true. But he had ignored it, and now he hated himself for it. He had done exactly what he had been trying to prevent from happening all these years. He had lead _them_ straight to it; he had handed it over on a sliver platter. He was such a frelling idiot.

To Be Continued

* * *

Well? What do you guys think? Please leave thoughts, comments, and anything else (pleasant stuff anyways), it's all very welcome. Feedback is my food! Chapter 9 will be up not _this_ Wednesday, but next Wednesday (that's 9/28). I know you're probably thinking that I should've posted this on Wednesday, but...I...I couldn't wait any longer! Anyways, thanks to all who read and I hope everybody comes back next week! I'll pass out treats if I have to. :D 

HRS


	2. Chapter 2

**9**

Crichton climbed out of his module before it even fully powered down. As soon as his feet hit the floor he charged for the door.

"John!" Aeryn called after him, hurriedly getting out of the module. "John, wait!"

He kept on walking, knowing that she would easily catch up with him.

"Crichton!" Chiana came flying out into the hallway, hope glinting in her eyes. But when she saw the look on his face and no baby, her face dropped. "W-where's the little guy?"

"He's still with the Scarrans," Crichton said as he pushed past her.

"Wh-whaddaya mean? Why?" Chiana asked, following Crichton and Aeryn.

"Pip, not now!" Crichton snapped.

Chiana stopped following them, looking disappointed, and turned down into another passageway.

"John, you can't do this," Aeryn said.

"I don't have a choice, Aeryn," he said as he took a sharp turn into their quarters.

"They will attack Earth!" she shouted. "They will destroy it and enslave the entire Human race! Do you really want that to happen?"

Crichton began to frantically look through his possessions, searching desperately. "They won't enslave Earth. I won't let them."

"And what are you going to do to stop them? You have no wormhole weapon anymore, John!"

"I'm not letting them come with me to Earth, Aeryn. I'm just gonna go and get the flowers for them."

She shook her head. "They'll never agree to that."

"Yes they will."

"John - "

"_What_, Aeryn?" Crichton snapped, standing up straight and whirling to face her. "You want me to just give up on D'Argo and let him die? Is that it? You want me to just walk away and leave him there?"

She stared at him with a hard gaze, her jaw muscles flexing. "You know I don't want that," she said quietly.

Crichton gazed at her in brief silence, then he spoke softly. "Then this is our only choice. I have to do this, Aeryn."

"John..." Her eyes glossed over with tears but she blinked them away. "I love him, I do, but it's not worth it."

He stared at her in disbelief. "You're saying I should just leave him with the Scarrans?"

Aeryn's eyes filled with tears again, and when she spoke her voice trembled. "I don't want to, John. I really frelling don't, but it's not worth the death and enslavement of billions of people."

He shook his head and said, "They won't get to Earth, Aeryn."

"You can't even get there yourself!" she hissed.

"Yes I can." Crichton turned his back to her and began searching through his possessions again. "I can do it, Aeryn. I know I can. I just have to - Where the hell is my notebook?"

"What, you're going to study those frelling equations? You won't even know what they mean!"

"Aeryn, just help me find it!"

"No! I'm not letting you do this, John!"

"Damn it, Aeryn!" Crichton growled through gritted death. He turned to face her again. "What do you want me to do?"

They stared at each other in heavy silence.

Aeryn licked her lips and took in a deep breath. "Even if you can figure out the equations...You can't get to Einstein without the correct knowledge. And you never wrote that down, John." She shook her head. "It's not possible. None of this is. It's suicide!"

"I have to try, Aeryn," Crichton said gently. "I have to. I can't let this happen to our son. I won't."

"Even if you get to Einstein, how do you think you're going to convince him to give you back the knowledge?" she brought out.

He sighed heavily and ran a hand over his face. "Aeryn, I'll figure that out later. Just help me find my notebook."

* * *

Crichton squeezed his eyes shut and squashed them with the heels of his hands. Letting out a heavy sigh, he picked up his cup of raslak and took a large gulp. He glanced back down at the notebook opened in his lap and stared at the equations sprawled across the pages. They looked more like scribbles and doodles to him now. He didn't understand how they used to make any sense. Why hadn't he made a key or something back when he knew what all this meant?

He had been sitting up on Command for over an arn now, studying the equations in his notebook. Aeryn was no doubt beating the crap out of her punching tower in the maintenance bay. He hadn't seen Chiana or Noranti or Rygel at all since he got back, and he had only spoken briefly with Pilot. His mind kept wandering back to his son; images of Little D wrapping his tiny fingers around Staleek's thick and scaley finger and smiling brightly up at the Scarran Emperor flashed through Crichton's head. He shuddered and took another swig of raslak.

"Hey Pilot," he called as he looked out at the stars through the forward portal.

Pilot's image appeared on the clamshell. "Yes, Commander?"

"You picking up any wormholes yet?"

"None as of yet, Commander."

Crichton sighed and put his cup back down on the table. "Well let me know - "

"As soon as I see one," Pilot finished for him. "I will, Commander."

Crichton smiled faintly. "Thanks, Pilot."

Pilot's image faded away and Crichton looked down at his notebook again. Slapping the book shut, he tossed it on the table. He was done for now; he couldn't make any sense out of the wormhole equations and it was giving him a headache. Of course, he wasn't going to tell Aeryn that.

_I should probably go check up on her_, he thought. He knew she had been holding a lot in on the way back to Moya. Standing up from his seat, he walked out of Command and headed for the maintenance bay.

He could hear Aeryn hitting the punching tower from all the way down the end of the corridor. She was hitting harder than usual - he could tell. Quickening his pace, he walked into the room and stood in the doorway, watching her. She hadn't changed her clothes, but her jacket was thrown across a table. And Crichton was glad to see that she was using the padded gloves. He watched her for a couple more minutes. He kept expecting that the next punch would throw the triangular tower across the maintenance bay, but it always bounced back up.

Aeryn threw one last punch, then turned her back to him, strode over to the table and began pulling off the gloves. She went still, and leaning against the table, she said, "We shouldn't have left him there."

"We didn't have a choice," Crichton said softly.

It had been hard for both of them to leave the Scarran striker with their son still on board. But he needed his notebook and time to think. Staleek had let them leave without a problem. Crichton figured the Emperor was smart enough to know that he would most definitely be coming back since they had D'Argo.

Aeryn straightened her back and turned to face him. "How are the wormhole equations coming?"

"Not too bad," he lied. "A lot of it looks familiar."

She stared at him for a moment, then shook her head. "You can't figure anything out, can you?"

Crichton sighed and dropped his head. "They're just scribbles - lines and dots. I don't know what any of it means."

"So what are you going to do, then?"

"Keep studying 'em, hope something clicks before a wormhole shows up."

"And if it doesn't?"

Crichton stared at his shoes ponderously before saying, "Then I'll just go down the wormhole and hope Einstein spots me."

"You're not serious!" Aeryn said angrily.

He didn't reply and continued to stare at his feet.

Aeryn walked over to him. "John, you can't fly through wormholes like that anymore; you'll get yourself killed!"

"I won't get killed, Aeryn. The most that would happen is I'd be thrown to the other side of the universe."

"Oh, that's infinitely better!"

Crichton snapped his head up to look at her. "What do you want me to do, Aeryn? You have a better idea? 'Cause if you do, then tell me!"

Heavy silence fell as they glared at each other. Aeryn swallowed, looked down at the floor, then back up at Crichton. "I just don't want you to get yourself killed, John," she said quietly, her voice trembling. "I can't...I won't accept that."

"But you can accept our son dying?"

She stared at him, shock and hurt written on her face. Crichton cursed at himself silently and shook his head. "Aeryn, I'm sorry. I didn't mean that." Taking a step towards her, he pulled her into his arms. "We'll get him back," he whispered as he stroked her hair.

"Why can't the universe just be done with you?" Aeryn cried. "We're supposed to be done with all this dren."

"I know, Baby, I know." He kissed the top of her head.

"_Commander?_" Pilot's voice echoed in the room.

"Yeah, Pilot?" Crichton responded.

"_Moya is detecting a wormhole about to open exactly ten metras away_."

Aeryn went stiff in his arms and she leaned back enough to look at his face.

"All right, Pilot. I'm on my way," Crichton said as he gazed at his wife's eyes.

"John..." Aeryn grabbed hold of his jacket, staring hard at him.

"I have to do this, Aeryn. I have to at least try," he said softly.

She swallowed and said in a commanding voice, "Then I'm coming with you."

"What?" Crichton said with surprise. He shook his head. "No, Aeryn - "

"You can't expect me to stay here while you go off to do this!" she shouted. "I'm not losing both D'Argo and you! I'm coming with you!"

Crichton gritted his teeth. "Aeryn - "

"_Commander, the wormhole has opened_," Pilot reported. "_It is currently at ninety-two percent stability_."

Crichton shut his eyes and sighed. "I'm coming, Pilot." He opened his eyes again to look at Aeryn. He knew there was no point arguing with her; he could see it in her face that she wasn't letting him go without her. "All right, come on."

* * *

The blue light and coloring was mesmerizing, as it always had been. It didn't matter that Crichton now hated wormholes or anything to do with them - they were still beautiful.

"_Stability is now at eighty-six percent_," Pilot's voice came over the comms.

The blue funnel twirled and shifted, the vast mouth opening wide one second then closing narrowly the next. As Crichton gazed at it, the last four years of his life flashed before his eyes and he felt like he was coming back to another lifetime.

"John?" came Aeryn's soft voice from behind.

He snapped out of his reverie and cleared his throat. "Uh, right. Pilot, we're entering the wormhole. We should be back within an arn."

"_Hey Crichton? Aeryn?_" Chiana's voice crackled through. "_You guys be careful_."

"We will, Pip," Crichton said as he flipped a couple switches on the panel to his left. "We'll see you all soon."

He set his gaze back on the wormhole and his stomach filled with rattlers. He had thought he would never be doing this again. Not to mention he had Aeryn with him this time, and he knew the chances of this plan actually working were very, very thin. He didn't want her to die because of him.

"_The wormhole is now at seventy-eight percent, Commander_," Pilot said.

"Hey Aeryn?"

"What, John?"

Crichton worked his jaw for a second as he stared at the shifting, blue wormhole. "I love you."

"_Seventy-five percent_."

"For the love of Cholak, John!" Aeryn hissed. "Go down the frelling wormhole!"

Crichton clamped his teeth down hard and put his hands on the piloting controls, wrapping his fingers firmly around them. "We're going in now, Pilot. Keep your fingers crossed."

Pushing forward on the controls, Crichton moved the module forward into the wormhole. They were quickly surrounded by the swirling blue light. The module lurched in every which direction as it flew down the bumpy, narrow tunnel. Crichton gripped the controls tighter and gritted his teeth, silently begging the wormhole to stabilize or for Einstein to hurry up and spot him. The module violently jerked and spun wildly.

"John!" Aeryn shouted from behind.

"Just hang on, Aeryn!" he shouted back. "It should - "

A blinding white light filled the cockpit and blocked out Crichton's vision. There was a loud rumbling noise before everything went completely dark.

* * *

It was the breeze that brought Crichton out of sleep. Or at least he had thought it was a breeze at first; but it couldn't be - he was in a cell. He opened his eyes with ease and the first thing he noticed was that there was no heat. He must've been cooked too much; they must've turned down the heat to let him cool down. Then they'd start it back up again. He took in a couple deep breaths of the cool air and his parched throat instantly burned. His stomach growled loudly with hunger and he groaned. He placed his hands over his stomach and rolled over onto his side.

He froze when he saw Scorpius on his hands and knees on the other side of the room, panting heavily, the coolant rod system still sticking out of his head. The hybrid was still coughing up thick foam and yellow saliva. But Crichton was more concerned with the fact that Scorpius was still _alive_.

"Thought you were dead," Crichton mumbled hoarsely.

Scorpius only shifted a quick glare at him.

"You don't look too good, Grasshopper."

"Neither...do...y-you!" Scorpius gasped.

Crichton smiled weakly and shut his eyes again.

"Th-they...they will...k-kill you, Crichton," Scorpius panted.

"Nah, they'll just let me cook forever."

"Th-they will kill Aeryn...and then they will kill...you."

Crichton opened his eyes halfway. "They're not gonna kill Aeryn."

Scorpius crawled over beside Crichton, staring down at him. "They don't need you anymore, Crichton. There's no r-reason for them to keep you alive. Or A-Aeryn."

"Shut up, Scorpy," Crichton growled weakly.

"W-w-we h-have t-t-to..." Scorpius convulsed and gagged, then collapsed on the ground beside Crichton. "C-Crichton..."

"Shut up and die," Crichton snarled as he rolled over onto his back.

Scorpius continued to wheeze and pant for a moment, then gasped, "Y-you are a fool, C-Crichton."

"Yeah," Crichton muttered, his hate for himself flaring inside him again. "I know."

* * *

Crichton abruptly came to, his eyes snapping wide open, staring up at endless black. He blinked a couple times, getting his mind back in full gear, then sat up straight. The knot in his stomach loosened when he saw that he was sitting on an iceberg surrounded by black water. He smiled slightly with relief for a moment before it died, worry for Aeryn overtaking him. He glanced around and spotted her directly beside him, unconscious.

"Aeryn!" He leaned down on his elbows and touched her face gently. "Aeryn, Honey, wake up," he pleaded. But she didn't move and he felt a strong pang of fear. "Aeryn? Come on Baby, wake up."

"She will not awaken," came a strong, monotonous voice.

Crichton froze, then turned to find the man he called Einstein standing a few feet away.

"What the hell do you mean she won't wake up?" he shouted angrily.

"She is unharmed."

"That doesn't answer my ques- "

"Why have you attempted wormhole travel again?" Einstein interrupted.

Crichton pursed his lips, glanced down at Aeryn, decided she was okay, then rose to his feet to face the alien. "I need your help."

Einstein only stared at Crichton, his face unchanging as always, his wide black eyes emotionless.

Crichton licked his lips before continuing. "The Scarrans...they have my son. And they won't give 'im back unless they get more of their flowers. We have 'em on Earth - "

"The Crsytherium is the source of their power," Einstein interrupted.

"Yes," Crichton nodded. "But I can't get to Earth to bring them these flowers unless I can travel through wormholes."

Einstein remained silent, regarding Crichton with the same empty expression.

Crichton took a couple cautious steps towards the alien. "I'm asking you...please, to give me back the knowledge to navigate wormholes."

"Before, you did not want it. Now you desire to have it back?"

"My son's life is in danger."

"Giving you this knowledge again would put the universe at risk, as before."

Crichton took another step towards him. "You know me, you know I won't go screwing up time lines. I just need it so that I can save my son."

"Your offspring does not matter to us."

"Look, you can take the crap outta my head once I'm finished with it! Hell, I _want_ you to!" Crichton said loudly. "I'm just asking for the basics, just enough to let me get to Earth and back. That's it." He stepped towards Einstein again, staring hard at the blank, white face. "You owe me," Crichton said darkly. "You owe me for making me go through all that crap that I had to, to keep this stuff away from the bad guys." He pointed his finger at the alien. "You - owe - me."

Einstein was still and silent, regarding Crichton. "If I give you this knowledge again, it will be temporary."

"What, you mean like when the clock strikes midnight my dress and slippers will disappear?" Crichton asked.

"It will be short term, yes."

"And do I get to know when my time is up?"

"You will have it for as long as you need it."

Crichton cocked his head to the side. "Is that a promise?"

Einstein did not reply.

"Okay, just give me the stuff so I can get outta here," Crichton said.

Crichton's stomach churned when Einstein lifted his hand up to Crichton's head. Before Crichton could even shut his eyes, his entire body went stiff and his eyes rolled back. For a moment he saw nothing but black and his head felt like it was going to overload. When he opened his eyes again, he was sitting on the ground with his back against a wall of ice and Einstein was staring down at him.

"Wha...what happened?" Crichton asked weakly. "Did you...did you do it?"

"You now possess the knowledge that you require," Einstein answered.

Crichton tried to search for it, but his head hurt too much. "Good." He had some difficult getting to his feet, but once he did, he turned and stumbled over to Aeryn. "Now I can get outta here," he huffed as he knelt down beside his wife. "She's gonna be okay, right?"

"She will regain consciousness once you return to your vessel."

"Okay..." Crichton's temples flared with pain and he squeezed his eyes shut. When it died down, he opened his eyes again and reached for Aeryn. "Damn, my head feels like it's gonna explode."

He gathered Aeryn up into his arms and got back on his feet. He turned to say one last thing to Einstein - but the alien was gone. Crichton bit his lip and nodded to himself. "Right. Thanks, Einstein." He looked down at Aeryn. "Come on darlin'. Let's get you home."

* * *

Chiana was waiting in the hangar when Crichton landed his module. He punched the button to open the cockpit, then pressed the heels of his hands into his temples. He had had a splitting headache ever since Einstein had put the wormhole knowledge back in his head.

"Crichton, are you okay?" Chiana asked worriedly, peering down at him from over the edge of the cockpit.

"I'm fine," Crichton said as he lifted his head and hoped the pain would recede. When it didn't, he gritted his teeth and pulled himself up into a standing position.

"Wha-what happened to Aeryn?"

Crichton glanced back at his still unconscious wife. "She's fine."

"But what happened to her?" Chiana pressed.

"Chiana," he groaned, and pressed his hand against his flaring temple. "Please, just...stop."

Chiana stared at him, concern flickering in her eyes. "O-okay," she nodded. "Here, let me...let me help you."

She helped him to climb out of the module and didn't take her hands off him until he was standing steadily on the floor. Crichton let out a shuddering sigh, squeezed his eyes shut and leaned against his module for support.

"Crichton? What's the matter?" Chiana was immediately back at his side.

"It's nothing, Pip, I'm fine," he mumbled as he waved her off. He glanced at her and asked, "Why are you holding a pulse rifle?"

She looked down at the weapon clutched tightly in her hands and swallowed. "Uh...i-it's um..."

Crichton opened his eyes again and caught sight of something that made him freeze. "Chiana..." he began slowly. "What is a Peacekeeper marauder doing on Moya?"

She went completely still, then stiffly turned to face him. Her eyes glistened with fear and she nervously ran her tongue over her lips.

"Chiana, what the hell is going on?" Crichton growled, shifting his gaze back to her.

"Right after you left, uh...a command carrier showed up and..." She paused and swallowed hard. "It was Scorpius; he wanted to see you - "

"Scorpius is on Moya?" Crichton asked loudly.

"W-we've got him locked up - "

"Damn it, Chiana! What the hell were you thinking? Why didn't you starburst?"

"We didn't wanna leave you and Aeryn behind!" she shrieked with a sharp cock of her head.

"What does he want this time?" he growled as he glared at the marauder.

Chiana shook her head. "He wouldn't say. Only that he wants to talk to you."

"And he came by himself?"

"We wouldn't let him on unless he did."

"Where is he?"

"In a cell on tier six," she answered. "N-Noranti a-and Rygel are watching 'im."

"And they have guns too, right?"

"Yeah."

Crichton continued to glower at the marauder. He had thought for sure he'd never have to see that creature again. The nightmare had ended only four months ago, and now Scorpius was back. Crichton bristled with anger and hate.

"C-Crichton?"

He snapped back into reality and pulled his gaze away from the Peacekeeper vessel. "Right. I'll get Aeryn to our quarters and then I'll go see what he wants."He rubbed his eyes hard.

Chiana looked him up and down. "A-are you s-sure you can make it? I mean, you can barely keep yourself up, Crichton."

"It's just a headache, Chiana. I'm fine."

And before Chiana could protest, he climbed back up onto his module and began to pull Aeryn out.

* * *

Crichton felt like he was going to collapse by the time he got to his quarters. He hurriedly laid Aeryn down on the bed, then sagged against it himself, letting out a heavy sigh and closing his eyes. He waited a few minutes before opening his eyes and lifting his head again. They had been on Moya for a quarter of an arn now, and Aeryn still had not woken up. He was starting to worry; if she didn't wake up soon Crichton was gonna go back to Einstein and kick his ass.

He leaned in closer to his wife, studying her face. He smiled faintly at her beauty, then leaned down to kiss her tenderly on the lips. "Wake up soon, Baby," he whispered as he stroked her hair. "I miss you."

He moved his hand down to graze his fingers over her temple and cheek, then rose to his feet.

Once he was out in the passageway, he glanced back at Aeryn and whispered into his comms. "Hey Pilot?"

"_Yes Commander?_"

"If Aeryn wakes up while I'm talking to Scorpius, let me know."

"_Of course_."

"And uh...make sure she stays safe."

"_Yes Commander_."

"Thanks man," Crichton mumbled, then turned and headed down the passageway.

He quickly made his way to tier six. Once he got to the cell they had Scorpius in, he froze in his steps and his hand dropped down close to Wynona. It quickly came to his attention that Noranti and Rygel both had pulse weapons in their hands.

"Why can't we just shoot the welnitz?" Rygel was grumbling.

"Because he wants to talk to Crichton," Noranti said cheerfully, peering at the hybrid through the bars.

"Talk!" Rygel spat. "All that creature has done for us is cause us trouble! I say we shoot him now!"

"I'm down with that," Crichton spoke up. All eyes turned to him, but Crichton had his eyes set on Scorpius. "What are you doing here Grasshopper?"

Scorpius rose from his seat and walked over to bars. "It has been some time, Crichton."

"Skip the friendly greetings and get to the point," Crichton growled.

"This is completely unnecessary," Scorpius said, gesturing to the cell.

"Maybe," Crichton replied. "But if Chiana and the others felt it was necessary, then I'm not gonna argue. What do you want, Scorpy?"

"I would prefer that we speak...in private," Scorpius said, eying their audience.

"You can prefer all you want, but they're staying. Now tell me what you're doing here."

Scorpius tilted his head back slightly, taking in a sharp breath, then looked back at Crichton. "I am aware of what the Scarrans have asked of you."

"And what's that?"

"They wish to obtain more of their Crystherium Utilia, and your earth grows them."

"So lemme guess, you're here to stop me from helping them."

Scorpius narrowed his eyes and scowled. "You cannot help them, Crichton. They will enslave your planet, and hundreds of others to follow."

Crichton shook his head. "They're not coming to earth. I'm going by myself."

"You will not be able to stop them!" Scorpius snapped. "And once you give them the source of their power, they will grow strong again, terrorizing the galaxy. Do you really want that?"

"I know what I'm doing, Scorpius," Crichton snarled. He began to turn away to leave.

"They will not give you your offspring back!" Scorpius shouted.

Crichton halted in his footsteps.

"And they won't let you, or Aeryn live. They will kill you all, Crichton."

"They'll kill D'Argo even if I don't help them."

"But by helping them you are also risking Aeryn's life and yours!" Scorpius took in a deep breath and straightened his back. "As well as your entire planet."

Crichton remained still and silent for a moment. Then he turned to Noranti and Rygel. "Get him off Moya." And he continued down the passageway.

"CRICHTON!" Scorpius yelled. When Crichton didn't stop, the half-bread growled loudly and slammed his fists into the bars.

* * *

Once Crichton got to the hallway adjoining his room, his thoughts about Scorpius and the Scarrans melted from his mind. Now his focus was on Aeryn, and his heart raced with hope that she was awake; Pilot hadn't said anything, but he still hoped...His pace quickened as he drew closer to the door. He swung around the corner and stopped when he laid eyes on her. She was sitting up with her head in her hands.

He felt relieved that she had finally woken, but that relief was overtaken by concern. "Aeryn?" he said quietly as he took a couple cautious steps forward.

Aeryn's head snapped up and her eyes were wide with alert. He smiled faintly at her, but she did not smile back.

"What happened?" she asked. "Did we make it?"

Crichton walked over to the bed and sat down on the edge. "Yeah, we made it."

"What happened? How come I don't remember any of it? How are we back on Moya?"

"You weren't awake when we got there - "

"What do you mean I wasn't awake?" she snapped.

Crichton took her hand in his and sighed. "When we got there, I woke up and you were unconscious."

"Why? Couldn't you wake me?"

"No - "

"Why not?"

"Because Einstein didn't want you to wake up; and no, I don't know why."

Aeryn looked down at their hands, then back up at him. "Did you get it? The wormhole knowledge?"

Crichton bit his lip, then nodded. "Yeah. Yeah I got it," he said quietly, and bowed his head to stare at their hands.

She moved her free hand up to his head, stroking his temple and his hair lightly. "Are you all right?" she said softly.

"Just a headache."

"Like last time?"

He squeezed his eyes shut and nodded.

"You need to rest. That helped last time."

Crichton shook his head. "We don't have time for that. I have to get back to the striker, then head to earth."  
They fell silent for a moment and Aeryn continued to run her cool fingers over his skin and hair. "Are you sure you still want to do this?" she whispered.

He looked up at her. "It's our son, Aeryn; our child."

"I know, John. But do you really believe they're going to give him back?"

"I have to try."

"John, I love him as much as you do, but there's too much at risk - "

"Aeryn, I've already got the crap in my head. I might as well use it."

She pursed her lips before speaking. "I just...I'm scared, John," she admitted quietly.

He squeezed her hand gently. "I know." He lifted her hand to kiss it. "I am too."

"I don't want to lose you," she said, her voice trembling. Her eyes were glassy with tears.

Crichton's heart thudded in his chest and he smiled slightly. He didn't say anything, only lifted his free hand to run his fingers gently over her jaw and chin before leaning in to kiss her. She instantly opened her mouth wide to him and clutched his jacket to pull him closer. He deepened the kiss and she moaned into his mouth, making his stomach melt. Just when he leaned closer to her and wrapped his arm around her waist, Pilot's voice interrupted.

"_Commander?_"

Crichton ignored it and continued kissing Aeryn.

"_Commander Crichton?_"

Aeryn pulled back and opened her eyes to look at him. Crichton sighed and said, "Yeah Pilot, what's up?"

"_Chiana, Noranti and Dominar Rygel desire your assistance in escorting Scorpius back to the hangar_."

Aeryn snapped upright, her eyes wide and eyebrows furrowed. "Scorpius is here?"

"Uh, Pilot, tell 'em I'll be there in a minute."

"What is Scorpius doing here?" Aeryn demanded. "When did he get here?"

"He was here when we got back," Crichton answered.

"What does he want?"

Crichton averted his gaze from her, worked his jaw, then replied. "He doesn't want me to get the flowers for the Scarrans because it'll make 'em stronger and he's afraid of them conquering the entire galaxy."

"So he came to try to stop you," she stated.

"Yeah, pretty much," he nodded.

"What did you tell him?"

"I told him to screw himself and get the hell off Moya."

"You know he's going to keep trying to stop you."

"Yeah, but once I get back to the striker he won't be able to do anything."

"_Crichton!_" Rygel's voice crackled loudly from the comms, startling both Aeryn and Crichton. "_What the yotz are you doing?_"

"Sorry Sparky," Crichton replied with a small smile. "Taking care of the wife."

"_Well get the frell down here and take care of this frelling welnitz!_" Rygel growled.

"Yeah I'm coming, Spanky."

"_You better be!_"

And the comms clicked off.

Crichton turned to Aeryn again. "Duty calls."

"I'll come - "

"No, Aeryn, stay here and rest."

"If anyone needs rest it's you," she said firmly.

"Honey, I'm fine. It's just a headache." He kissed her on the temple and stood up. "I'll be back in a bit."

And after flashing a wide smile at her, he turned and walked out of their room.

* * *

"You should have listened to me, Crichton," the hybrid said calmly, his sorrowful voice echoing off the cell walls.

"Shut up, Scorpy," Crichton murmured.

"The entire galaxy will be enslaved by them," the half-breed continued. "Everything I worked to accomplish...will be lost."

Crichton chuckled. "You didn't do anything but chase my ass around the universe."

"Yes, you were the one who ended the war and brought peace to the galaxy," Scorpius said ponderously. He shifted his head to look at Crichton. "But that was a forced peace, John. Now that they have their source of power back and know that you can no longer use the wormhole weapon...they will destroy all Peacekeepers and take control of the galaxy."

"I've heard it all before, Grasshopper," Crichton rasped. "Just shut up."

"How could you have done this?" the hybrid whispered blankly.

"You know why I did it. Now stop bitching at me."

"I - will - _not!_" Scorpius growled loudly; he began to breathe heavily.

"You better keep your temper," Crichton warned weakly. "Or you'll overheat and start panting like a dog again."

Scorpius lunged at Crichton across the short distance between them, grabbing fistfuls of Crichton's leather jacket. "This is _your_ fault, Crichton!" Scorpius snarled. "You have destroyed this galaxy!"

"Get the hell off me!" Crichton spat, his eyes dark with hate.

"I will make sure you suffer for what you have done!"

"In case you hadn't noticed, Grasshopper, they beat you to it," Crichton said bitterly. "Now get _off_ me!"

He struggled against the hybrid, but he was still too weak to work his muscles very well, and the creature was very heavy.

"I will make sure that for the short remainder of your life, you will be haunted by what you have done!" Scorpius snarled in Crichton's face.

Crichton had had enough. Grabbing hold of the coolant system still protruding from the creature's head, he pulled as hard as he could. Scorpius led out a spine-chilling, gurgling cry, his eyes flashing with hatred and anger. But instead of releasing his hold on Crichton, he grabbed the Human's neck and squeezed.

"Let go of me you son of a bitch!" Crichton growled through clenched teeth.

Scorpius didn't move, only tightened his grasp around Crichton's neck. Crichton mustered up what strength he had and let out a loud cry as he forced Scorpius off him and onto the ground. He fumbled with his empty holster on his thigh, forgetting that Wynona was not there. Scorpius was sitting up now, scowling venomously - yellow foam oozing from his mouth. Crichton acted quickly; shoving himself off the ground, he lunged at the creature and landed a hard kick to his face. Then grabbing hold of Scorpius, Crichton threw him hard against the wall and pinned him there.

"Now _listen_ up, Scorp," Crichton growled shakily; it was starting to get hot again. "I'm hot and I'm angry and it just might be making me crazy, so don't mess with me! I _know_ what I did, I don't need you to _remind_ me! It's been haunting me from the _moment_ I got here, so just _SHUT UP!_"

He abruptly let go of Scorpius, pushing himself away from the monster. The hybrid just stared at him, his expression unreadable. Crichton stood there for a moment, breathing heavily. Then an overwhelming feeling of guilt and grief filled up inside him and his eyes stung furiously. He inhaled sharply in attempt to cover up a sob, but failed miserably. He turned his back to Scorpius and staggered over to his corner. Sinking to the ground, he faced the corner, pulled his knees up to his chest and wrapped his arms around them.

_I'm sorry_, he thought as hot tears strolled down his face. _I'm sorry Aeryn and Little D. I'm sorry Dad and Olivia, Susan, Bobby...Earth...I'm sorry._

To Be Continued


	3. Chapter 3

**8**

The passageway seemed to be tilting side to side, causing Crichton to constantly put his hand out to steady his balance. He leaned against one of Moya's bronze ribs and firmly pressed his hand into his throbbing temple, gritting his teeth. "Go away," he growled at the sharp pain in his head. To his relief, the ache receded and he sighed heavily and continued on down the hallway.

"Shut up, fekk-face!" Chiana's angry voice came echoing down the corridor.

"You must not let Crichton do this!"

"If he talks again, shoot him!" Rygel's voice demanded.

Crichton quickened his pace and hurried around the corner into the room containing the large cell they had Scorpius in. "What's going on?" he demanded.

Everyone started talking at once.

"Crichton! Listen to me, the Scarrans - "

"H-he's been going on about - "

"Shoot him, Crichton! Shoot him now!"

"I really don't think that violence is necessary - "

"Stop..." Crichton said weakly, closing his eyes as sharp pain stabbed into his forehead. The voices were piercing and making his head spin. "Everybody STOP!"

Everyone fell silent except for Scorpius. "Crichton - "

"I said shut UP, Grasshopper!" Crichton snapped. He took in a sharp breath and rubbed his forehead before looking back up at Scorpius. "You," he began, jutting his finger at the hybrid. "Are getting off Moya. Now."

"John - "

"You're not changing my mind, Scorpy-Sue, so don't even try it. Aeryn and I had this talk and _she_ can't even change my mind; what kinda chance do you think _you_ have?"

Scorpius only glared at Crichton, then muttered, "You have always been unreasonable, John."

"Yes, I have," Crichton agreed. "And I'm not any different now, Scorp, so get used to it."

Scorpius scowled at him, baring his sharp teeth.

"Stop pouting," Crichton said as he walked over to the door controls and opened the door. He rested his hand on Wynona and set his eyes hard on the half-breed. "Get up. We're sending you home."

Crichton did his best to shake off the dizzying effects of his headache as they walked into the hangar. He tapped his fingers on Wynona and glanced at Scorpius. The hybrid had his usual blank expression while his dark eyes glistened with determination and anger. Crichton knew that look all too well; Aeryn was right, Scorpius wasn't going to give up trying to stop him from helping the Scarrans.

They came to a halt in front of the marauder; nobody lowered their weapon. Crichton wrapped his fingers around Wynona - just in case.

"You are making a big mistake, Crichton," Scorpius said as he turned to face Crichton.

"I know how you feel on the matter, Scorpy," Crichton replied, his tone firm. "Now get in your ship."

"I will not let you help them, Crichton," Scorpius scowled.

"Get in your damn ship, Scorpius," Crichton growled. He squeezed Wynona tighter, tempted to pull her out on the hybrid.

Scorpius kept his cold stare on Crichton, his mouth set in a grim line. Crichton bit his tongue and squeezed Wynona tighter. But Scorpius finally turned and walked into the marauder. Crichton let out the breath he had been holding, but didn't loosen his grip on his pulse pistol. Only when the engines on the Peacekeeper vessel fired up and the ship lifted from the floor did Crichton begin to relax. The marauder disappeared from sight beyond the hangar bay doors; Crichton removed his hand from Wynona.

"Hey Pilot?" he called.

"_Yes Commander?_" Pilot's voice came over the comms.

"Is Scorpy leaving?"

"_Affirmative. He is following the same course that his command carrier took_."

"W-what if he comes back?" Chiana asked shakily, clutching her pulse rifle tighter and swallowing hard.

"He won't," Crichton replied with a shake of his head.

"You don't know that!" Rygel snapped.

"Yes, I _do_, Buckwheat. He knows I'm gonna be on the striker helping the Scarrans."

"But what if he takes us hostage?" the Hynerian asked. "He could attack Moya with his command carrier!"

"Shut up, Toad!" Chiana shrieked, and smacked Rygel across the head.

"How dare you - "

"I'm gonna go check on Aeryn," Crichton cut in. "Then I'll be leaving shortly after."

"_Good!_" Rygel said sharply. "I don't want anything to do with your frelling wormholes!"

Crichton gave Rygel an irritated look, turned, and stalked out of the room.

* * *

When Crichton returned to his quarters, Aeryn was pacing back and forth with her arms crossed.

"What's the matter?" he asked as he strolled in.

Aeryn spun around to face him, and the look on her face made his heart throb.

"I can't stand this," she said shakily. "I feel like I should be feeding him or cleaning him or..._something!_ But he's not here!" She planted her hands on her hips and began pacing again. She stopped, facing the wall, and Crichton saw her body tremble as she took in a deep breath. "I'm worried about him, John," she confessed quietly.

Crichton bit his lip and bowed his head. "Me too."

He looked up at her again, her back still facing him. He had known that she had been holding it all in. He had actually begun to worry that she hadn't said anything.

When Aeryn turned to face him again, her eyebrows were knitted even more than before and tears were sliding out of her eyes. "I don't want to lose him," she said, her voice trembling.

Crichton walked over to her and cradled her face with his hands, wiping away her tears. "We won't," he promised softly.

Aeryn pressed her lips together and more tears rolled onto her face. She leaned into him, pressing her body against his. Crichton encircled her with his arms and held her firmly. She trembled in his arms and his eyes burned with oncoming tears.

"Aeryn," he whispered into her ear, doing his best to keep his voice steady and to be strong for her. "We're going to get him back."

"I'm sorry," she mumbled into his shoulder.

His brow creased slightly with confusion. "For what?"

She lifted her head to look at him, her cheeks flushed and tears streaking her face. "For what I've been saying, for trying to stop you. I want him back, John, so bad. But it's just - "

"Shhh," Crichton interrupted, and he lifted a hand to brush her hair away from her face. "I know, Aeryn."

Aeryn gave him a weak, watery smile, then leaned forward to press her forehead against his. After a moment of silence, she asked, "Do you think they'll give him back to us?"

He pressed his lips together and brushed his nose gently over hers. "I dunno."

"That's not what I asked," she said firmly.

He sighed and rubbed her nose with his again. What did he believe? Would the Scarrans give them back their son? The immediate answer was yes, but deep down he knew it was no. But he couldn't tell Aeryn that; he wasn't going to take away her hope. "Yes," he answered finally. "I think they will, if I give them what they want. They don't have any reason to keep him."

Aeryn moved her arms down around Crichton's waist and nudged his nose with her own. "I hope you're right," she whispered.

_Yeah_, Crichton thought to himself. _Me too._

* * *

"Hey Crichton. Whatchya doin'?"

Crichton didn't look up upon hearing Chiana's voice; he kept his eyes on the paper as the equations poured from his mind. "Work," he answered simply.

Chiana peered over his shoulder and the smile on her face faded at seeing what he was doing. "Wormhole equations?" she asked quietly.

He didn't reply.

"Didn't you write all that down already?" she asked shakily.

"Yeah, but it was all on crates and doors of a dying leviathan," Crichton explained.

"Oh...right." She looked down at his notebook again. "Some of them look different," she observed.

"That's 'cause they're math and English," Crichton said blankly, his hand still flowing over the paper faultlessly.

"Y-you're translating them?"

This time he stopped writing and looked at her. "Chiana, is there something you want?" he asked irritably.

She ran her tongue over her lips and shifted her feet. "I just...I miss 'im - the little guy. A-and I feel so useless staying here on Moya while you and Aeryn go off to save him."

Closing his eyes, Crichton hung his head and murmured, "I miss 'im too."

"I...I wanna come with you. I wanna help."

He softly shook his head, looking at her again. "Chiana, you can't."

"Why not?" she said angrily.

"Because for starters, my module only seats two people. And I - " He stopped, sighed and bowed his head again. "Truth is I'm not even sure we'll be coming back," he finished quietly.

"Wha...whaddaya mean? You...you don't think you'll make it? You think the Scarrans are gonna frell you?"

"Chiana, I - " Crichton sighed and ran a hand over his eyes. "I'm not sure about anything. But I need to finish this up so that I can get back to the striker."

Chiana looked back and forth between Crichton and his notebook. Then without a word to him, she turned and left.

Crichton squeezed his eyes shut in attempt to push away any worries about his son and get his mind focused on the wormhole knowledge again. Before he even opened his eyes his hand had begun moving again.

"Are you sure you should be doing that?" Aeryn's voice came from close behind.

"Well I dunno about you," Crichton began. "But I don't wanna get to Earth and have the stuff die on me. Then we'd be stuck there forever and D'Argo..." He went still, swallowed, then returned to writing. "I might end up needing it," he said.

Aeryn sat down beside him and watched him for a while. "What if they take it from you?"

Crichton shook his head. "I'm not taking the whole book, just the pages that I need."

She watched him for a while longer, then said, "What if the Scarrans do get to Earth?"

"I'd rather not think about it," Crichton replied. After finishing up one last equation, he tore the few pages he needed from his notebook and hurriedly folded them up. He looked over at Aeryn, who was watching him with a worried expression. "One step at a time, Aeryn," he said. "Right now I'm just gonna concentrate on saving D'Argo."

Reaching out, he softly ran his fingers down her cheek and jaw. "You sure you still wanna come?"

Her gaze hardened with determination. "Yes."

* * *

Aeryn stood nearby as Crichton ran his pre-flight checks on his module. She watched him for a while before she asked, "How's your head?"

He looked over at her with a slightly confused expression; her question had come out of no where. "Headache's gone," he answered, and looked back at the scanner in his hand. "Started going away once I started writing everything down."

"Good," Aeryn replied with a nod. "Don't want you to fly if you can't concentrate."

Crichton looked at her again and they both smiled. He looked back at the device in his hand and continued his scan.

"Crichton!" Chiana's voice rang loud, startling them both, and they turned to face her as she ran into the hangar. She came to a skidding stop in front of Crichton, glanced at Aeryn, then said, "I wanna come."

"Chi, we've been over this," Crichton said.

"I can follow you in a transport pod - "

"Pip - "

"I can help, Crichton!" she shrieked.

Crichton let out a deep breath and looked over at Aeryn. Then taking Chiana by the arm, he pulled her over to the door and spoke in a low voice. "Chiana, I told you, I don't know if we're coming back."

"I know that," Chiana said sharply. "We never think we'll be coming back, but it hasn't stopped us before! I can help, Crichton!"

"Chiana," Crichton said slowly through clamped teeth. "I'm not letting you come. You need to stay here and take care of Moya."

"But I - "

"Chiana, I don't have time for this!" Crichton growled, and he turned to head back to his module.

Chiana grabbed him by the arm and pulled him back; they stared at each other for a brief moment before Chiana stepped up closer to him and planted a hard kiss on his lips. And when she pulled back, her eyes were glossed over with tears and she said in a trembling voice, "Come back."

Crichton pursed his lips, staring into her eyes, silently telling her he could make no such promise. She smiled faintly, sorrowfully, and he turned and walked back over to his module. He glanced back in time to see the Nebari disappearing into the corridor.

"What was that about?" Aeryn asked, looking from the doorway to her husband.

Crichton looked away from the door back at his module and said, "Nothing. Just tellin' her why she can't come." He strode over to the table and tossed the scanner onto it. "We're good to go."

* * *

Crichton swallowed hard and his mind wandered to the folded pages of wormhole equations safely tucked away in the pouch on his belt, hoping they were still there. Staleek's large chair slowly turned to face them as they entered. The Scarran smiled, baring his sharp teeth. "Welcome back, Crichton."

"Where's my son?" Crichton asked, glancing around the room.

"He is safe," Staleek replied. "Have you acquired the proper knowledge to traverse wormholes?"

Crichton shifted his gaze back to the Scarran Emperor. "Yeah, I got the stuff. The sooner you let me leave to Earth, the sooner you get your flowers."

"I have a vessel and a team prepared - "

"No," Crichton interrupted firmly. "Nobody's coming with me but Aeryn."

Staleek glowered at Crichton and snarled. "I will not permit you to return to your home world on your own."

"Why not? What, you think I'm gonna try to escape - "

"No," Staleek cut in. "I know you will return. But I do not trust you to go to Earth on your own. You could damage the Crystherium, or maybe even _poison_ it."

"You've got my _son_," Crichton said loudly. I'm getting those flowers for you, in peek condition, and I'm _coming back!_" he shouted. "Hell, I don't even know _how_ to poison a flower. I don't even know what poison would be for a Scarran! And I have to take my module to fly down the wormhole, otherwise it won't work."

"Then one of my men will go with you."

"No way. I'm not bringing a Scarran to Earth," Crichton said with a shake of his head. "That'll cause chaos and panic. It'll be easier and quicker to get the flowers to you if it's just me and Aeryn."

Staleek narrowed his reptilian eyes at Crichton, rubbing his thick fingers together as if ready to attempt a Heat Probe. "Fine," he snarled at last. "You and your mate will go alone."

"Before I go I wanna see my son," Crichton demanded. "Make sure he's okay before I leave."

Staleek scowled. "Very well," he said, his voice hard and angry. He rose to his feet and climbed down the few steps; he stopped in front of Crichton and growled, "Come with me."

* * *

Crichton heard Aeryn take in a sharp breath when they stepped into the room. He reached for her hand and she immediately squeezed his hand. He swallowed hard and leaned his forehead against the glass that separated them from their child. Shudders ran down his spine at the scene; his baby son lying naked on a blanket spread out on a metal table, Scarran nurses moving about around him.

"What are you doing to him?" Aeryn asked coldly.

"Nothing to harm him," Staleek answered.

"Why are they in there with him? What are they doing?" Aeryn went on, her voice beginning to tremble.

"They are making sure he stays alive and healthy."

"You don't know how to take care of a Sebacean child, or a Human one!" she shouted.

Crichton stood up straight and turned to his wife. "Aeryn - "

"_What?_" she snapped, turning her piercing glare to him.

"Honey, calm down," he whispered.

She stared at him, looking like she was about to knock his head off. But instead she took in a deep breath and looked back at baby D'Argo.

Crichton looked back at Staleek. "How am I suppose to know he's okay from out here?"

"We know a great deal on Sebacean infancy," Staleek began. "We are doing our best to ensure his safety."

"Bull dren," Aeryn mumbled, her eyes glued to her son.

"You don't know anything about Humans," Crichton said.

"Surely they are not too different," Staleek said.

Crichton shook his head. "This won't do. I want in, I wanna see him."

Aeryn whirled around to face the Scarran at hearing her husband's request.

Staleek growled, his cold eyes bearing down on them. "Only one of you may enter."

Crichton bit his bottom lip, then turned to Aeryn. "You go."

She met his gaze, her eyes glistening. "John, are you sure - "

"Aeryn," he stepped closer to her, lowering his voice. "You're his mother. And I know how much you've been worrying about him. You go."

She nearly smiled but it quickly vanished. "But what about you? You've been driving yourself crazy worrying - "

"Aeryn..." He shook his head. "It's okay; go."

She smiled faintly at him, her eyes sparkling, and she gave his hand a firm squeeze. Crichton responded in kind. "I'll wait here," he whispered.

Aeryn nodded; then releasing his hand, she turned to Staleek. "Let me in," she ordered.

"You have one hundred microts," the Emperor informed her, then signaled one of the guards to open the door to the next chamber.

Aeryn looked at Crichton one more time, meeting his gaze, then stepped into the next room. Crichton's heart beat harder as he watched his wife stride in and pick up their son. A beaming grin lit up her face as she held their child close; little D'Argo was smiling brightly himself and waving his arms up at his mother. Crichton smiled and tears stung his eyes. His chest swelled with sorrow and hope at the same time. He had this deep feeling inside him that this was the last time he'd be seeing his son, as well as his wife and son together like this. Biting his lip again, he pushed those thoughts and feelings away. He was going to save D'Argo; they were all gonna be back on Moya and happy again soon. But those thoughts died quickly and he felt sorrowful again, his eyes burning furiously with tears.

_It's gonna be okay,_ he told himself. _Get it together, John. You're gonna get the flowers and they'll give you D'Argo back. It'll be fine._

But no matter how many times he told himself so, he still had a cold, heavy feeling in the pit of his stomach.

* * *

The cockpit was completely silent except for the low hum of the engine as they flew out of the striker's hangar. Worries for both his wife and son were buzzing around Crichton's head, but he forced himself to concentrate on the familiar odd scent that was tingling in his nose. He followed it for a good half arn before he felt he was at the correct spot; the striker and two dreadnaughts were out of sight. Crichton flipped a few switches to power down the engine.

"What are you doing?" Aeryn asked, her first words to him since they had seen D'Argo.

"It's gonna be a while before the wormhole opens," he explained. "Probably a quarter arn, maybe a little longer."

Aeryn made no response, and the cold, dead quiet was giving Crichton the chills. He swallowed and said in a quiet voice, "How was he?"

There was a long silence and Crichton began to think that she wasn't going to answer. But Aeryn finally spoke, her voice strained. "From what I could tell he was fine."

He only nodded as he gazed out at the stars, the image of little D'Argo and Aeryn together playing through his mind repeatedly. His throat went dry and he swallowed, hoping to stop the cold, hard knot from forming in his stomach again. Letting out a heavy sigh, he leaned back in the seat and closed his eyes.

"Once we get to earth, how long is it going to take for us to get the flowers and come back?" Aeryn asked suddenly.

"I dunno," Crichton answered. "It depends."

"On what?"

"On lots of things, Aeryn," he said irritably.

"Well how do you plan on getting all these flowers?"

"I'm hoping my dad will help."

"And your planet will just let you take all their flowers?"

"Not all of them, just - look Aeryn, I don't have it all sorted out," he grumbled. "I'm just as worried and stressed out as you are, so gimme some slack."

Aeryn huffed but said nothing more. Crichton anxiously tapped his fingers on Wynona. Suddenly he sat bolt upright, staring hard out the cockpit window.

"What is it?" Aeryn asked.

"Wormhole's about to open," he replied.

He could feel it, smell it, getting stronger - he did not miss the sensation. "Cuarto," he began quietly. "Tres...dos...uno..."

There was a bright flash of light and a wormhole opened up directly in front of them, smooth and steady, the central vortex wide open. Aeryn was leaning over his shoulder for a better look; Crichton swallowed hard and bit his tongue.

"Are you sure you can do this?" she asked him uncertainly.

"Sure I'm sure," he said a bit nervously, checking some readings on the module's console.

"Why did you do that?" Aeryn asked sharply.

Crichton froze for a second in confusion, looking around the cockpit. "Do what?"

"You just altered our trajectory, then changed it back!" she hissed.

"I did not!"

"Yes, you did! I saw you!"

"Look, Aeryn..." Crichton worked his jaw in frustration. "Just let me do the flying, all right?"

There was a brief silence before Aeryn said, "You don't have the slightest idea what you're doing, do you?"

"Aeryn..." he growled. "It's coming back to me. Now just be quiet so I can concentrate."

"What do you mean _coming back?_ You wrote everything down!"

Crichton clamped his teeth and stared out at the blue wormhole. "Aeryn, you are not making this any easier."

Aeryn leaned back away from his shoulder and huffed, "You just better get us through alive, John."

Crichton looked at the console again, checking the readings on the wormhole. "Crap," he muttered.

"What?" Aeryn asked, leaning over his shoulder once again.

"Wormhole's down to eighty percent stability. It was at ninety-three when it opened."

"Well go in it already!"

Crichton shifted his gaze to the swirling funnel. "Aeryn," he said softly. "It takes a lot of concentration to navigate a wormhole."

"I know that."

"So I'm gonna need you to stay quiet."

"I've been down a wormhole before, John," she replied impatiently.

"Right," he said quietly, reminding himself of that. "Well, here it goes," he announced, planting his hands on the piloting controls. "Hang on to your butts," he said, and steered the module into the mouth of the wormhole.

The moment they were in, Crichton shut his eyes and put all his focus on earth. He blocked out the rattles, engine noise, the beeping on his console and the continuous spinning. He filled his mind with Earth._ Dad...Olivia...Earth...After I left...It'd be...It'd be 2005 now..._He opened his eyes just in time to see a bright, white flash of light.

* * *

Crichton stared blankly up at the black ceiling. He didn't even have the energy left to pant from the heat. The temperature had climbed up again, and he was already scorching. But he had another problem, the one that was gnawing at his stomach, making it feel like there was a large, gaping hole in his gut. Hot and hungry didn't go well together. He could tell he was losing it. Maybe that was what they wanted. Maybe they wanted him to lose his sanity; to break him down so completely that he was worthless. He told himself that he deserved it, but all the while he wanted desperately for it to stop.

He couldn't keep a thought for much longer than half a minute. The only thing he could think about longer than that was the hunger growling in his stomach. Maybe they were hoping that he and Scorpius would eat each other. They liked barbaric entertainment.

Crichton tried to keep his mind centered on Aeryn, but his brain was too weak to stay focused. He slowly shut his eyes and wondered why they didn't just kill him. What was the point of all this?

Crichton vaguely noted the sound of the cell door opening. There was the heavy thump of a Scarran's footsteps, and they stopped right beside Crichton. He opened his eyes to look up at the Scarran glaring down at him. The Scarran roughly grabbed hold of Crichton and yanked him into a sitting position. He shoved some sort of vial into Crichton's mouth, and a cool liquid began to slid down his throat. Crichton didn't care what it was, he swallowed as much of it as he could before the Scarran pulled it away. The Scarran let go of Crichton and he dropped back on the floor like dead weight. The Scarran pulled out a long syringe and stabbed it into Crichton's arm, but Crichton barely even felt it through the heat.

"Wha...what...what was...th-that?" he asked weakly.

The Scarran snarled at him as he rose to his feet. "To get rid of the hunger," he answered simply.

"Wh-why?"

"The Emperor does not wish you dead." The Scarran smiled widely. "Yet."

And with that the Scarran stormed out of the cell and the door slammed shut.

Crichton shut his eyes again and ran his tongue over his lips, hoping for another taste of the cool liquid. He couldn't remember what it was called...but he had been dying for some ever since the heat began. They must've realized that he needed it. Suddenly he felt the pain in his stomach dissolving, the hunger dying. He smiled ever so faintly as a dizzying, nauseous feeling swirled in his head and he slipped into unconsciousness again.

To Be Continued


	4. Chapter 4

**7**

It was silent inside the _Farscape One_, both Crichton and Aeryn gazing at the vast blue planet in front of them. Crichton had honestly believed that he would never see Earth again, even though he had promised his dad that he would come back some day.

"John?" Aeryn's voice came from behind, quiet and soft.

"Yeah?" he replied, most of his attention still on the beautiful planet.

"You all right?"

"Yeah, I'm...I'm fine."

They fell into a brief silence before she spoke again. "Then we should keep moving."

He snapped out of his daze and cleared his throat. "Right."

Crichton powered up the engine again, placed his hands back on the piloting controls, and steered the module down towards Earth.

* * *

"Whoa, it's...man, it looks good," Crichton said quietly, staring at his old family house from behind the bushes.

"It looks the same as it did before," said Aeryn.

"Yeah, but before we left it got all demolished from when that Skreeth attacked," Crichton pointed out. "They rebuilt it exactly the same. Looks like it never got touched."

Aeryn glanced up at the night sky, then looked back at the house. "You think anyone is home?"

Crichton chewed on his bottom lip for a moment. "I dunno, I can't tell. I don't see any lights..." He leaned forward a bit more and squinted his eyes. "Wait...the back door is open," he observed, eying the sliding glass door.

"So?"

"Dad never leaves the house unless every door and window is closed and locked," Crichton explained. "He must be home. Or if he's not, then somebody is."

Crichton pushed a branch out of the way and took a step forward, but Aeryn placed her hand on his arm. "John, are you sure this is a good idea? Why don't we just use the front door?"

"Because we'll draw attention."

"It's the middle of the sleep cycle!"

"Night. It's the middle of the night."

"Night, whatever," Aeryn said irritably. "If we sneak in the back door they could think we're criminals."

"Aeryn, who the hell is gonna leave the back door wide open during the middle of the night while they're sleeping?" Crichton hissed. "Somebody's awake, okay?"

"Well they could have forgotten the door is open," she pointed out. "Besides, John, they still could think we're criminals if they hear us."

"So what? It's not like they've got a bazooka ready to shoot anyone who comes in!" he whispered sharply.

Aeryn opened her mouth to protest but Crichton put his hand over her lips. "Honey, just...shut up," he said softly. "Now we're going inside."

She nodded and he removed his hand from her mouth. He took another step forward, paused, glanced over at Aeryn and said, "And if they _do_ think we're burglars, try not to shoot anyone." Crichton began walking before she could reply.

They stealthily made their way over to the back door. Crichton knelt down beside it, leaning against the wall; Aeryn did the same. Crichton didn't move, listening for any sound of any of his family members awake inside the house.

"John, what are you - "

"Shh!" he interrupted, holding up his hand.

He heard nothing; his stomach did a back flip and he bit his lip._ Please somebody be home_, he prayed. And reaching up to the handle on the door screen, he carefully pulled it open. He hesitated a second, waiting for something to happen. Nothing did, so he rose to his feet again and stepped inside. Once they were both in, Crichton closed the screen door again. He glanced around, hoping a light or TV was on to signify the presence of someone. Aeryn looked at him with an I-told-you-so look, but he ignored it.

Crichton took a couple steps forward and the creak of his leather pants seemed to be a thousand times louder than usual. He made his way around the kitchen counter, stepped into the hallway and something hard clobbered his head. Crichton went reeling to the side, slamming into the opposite wall, groaning in pain.

Crichton's sister Olivia came out of the dark room, holding a baseball bat in her hand, ready to attack again. Aeryn stepped between the two and held up her hands. "Stop! Olivia, it's me, it's Aeryn. Just calm down."

"...Aeryn?" Olivia asked in shock. She stared at Aeryn with an open mouth and wide eyes, then glanced down at Crichton, who was now sitting on the floor, holding his head. Olivia fumbled her hand against the wall, looking for the light switch. Once the lights came on, she gasped. "_John!_"

"Hey Livy," he greeted between gritted teeth.

"Oh my God, I'm so sorry!" she cried as she knelt down next to him. "I thought you guys were - What are you doing here?"

"I'd love to tell ya all about it, Liv, but my head feels like it's about to explode," Crichton grunted.

Aeryn hurried over to him, knelt down and took his face in her hands, examining the side of his head. "It doesn't look too bad," she said.

"That doesn't help, Aeryn," he said.

"I - I'll go get some ice a-and some aspirin," Olivia stuttered, getting to her feet. "I'm really sorry John."

"Liv it's okay, just...just go get the stuff, please," he moaned.

She hurried out of the room and Aeryn turned back to her husband. "I told you they'd think we were criminals."

"Honey, now is not the time for that," Crichton said, annoyed. "Am I bleeding?"

"Yes."

"Hell, Aeryn! You said it didn't look bad!"

"Well it doesn't."

Crichton inhaled sharply and shut his eyes. "I knew I shouldn't trust your opinion of what looks bad and what doesn't."

"You'll be fine," she said, stroking the side of his face softly, careful not to touch the bleeding wound. "It won't scar."

"Yeah but it probably dented my skull," he mumbled.

Aeryn shook her head. "I doubt it."

"Okay, got it!" Olivia announced, racing back into the hallway, carrying an ice pack, a wash cloth, a bottle of aspirin and a glass of water.

"Here, give me those," Aeryn said, gesturing to the ice pack and cloth.

While Crichton swallowed down the aspirin, Aeryn did her best to clean up the cut on his head and gently pressed the ice pack against it.

"I'm so sorry," Olivia apologized again.

"Livy, it's okay," Crichton said again.

"What are you guys doing here?" Olivia asked, her eyes locked on her brother.

Crichton shook his head. "Not yet. Where's Dad?"

"He had to go out of town for work," Olivia began. "He asked me to house sit for him."

"Damn. When's he coming back?"

"Tomorrow."

Crichton shut his eyes again and let out a long F sound.

Olivia looked worriedly at Aeryn, then back at Crichton. "Why? What's wrong?"

"I need to talk to him," he answered. "What time tomorrow? Do you know?"

"Not till five."

Crichton shook his head. "Too long. I can't wait that long. We have to call him."

"Why? John, what's going on?" Olivia asked, her voice heavy with concern.

He tried to sit up better to get to his feet, but Aeryn pushed him back. "You stay there. I'll get the phone." And she cantered out of the hallway.

Olivia watched Aeryn until she was out of sight, then turned back to her brother. "John, please, tell me what's going on," she pleaded.

"Liv, I don't wanna tell the story more than once," he said quietly. "Just wait 'til Dad gets here."

"Here," Aeryn said, holding the phone out to Olivia.

"Livy, call Dad," Crichton said. "Tell him he needs to come back. Now."

"Can I tell him you're here?"

"No, don't do that," he said with a shake of his head. "Just tell him to come as fast as he can."

* * *

Aeryn had her arm around Crichton's waist as they stumbled into his old room. He still had the ice pack pressed against his head and he eased himself down onto his old bed. Aeryn shut the door, then strode over to sit down beside him.

"Olivia says that Jack will be here in two or three arns," she reported. "Until then, you should get some sleep."

Crichton snorted. "Sleep. Yeah right."

Aeryn made no reply, and he opened his eyes to look at her. She had a sorrowful but ponderous expression and it made him worry. "Honey, what's the matter?"

"Last time we were here..." She glanced around the room, not meeting his gaze. "We barely said a word to each other."

His stomach knotted up. "Yeah...um, I'm sorry 'bout that."

She returned her eyes to him and smiled slightly. "Well you made that quite clear once you finally told me what was going on."

Crichton's heart fluttered at the memory and he smiled sheepishly. "Sorry I can't make up for lost time now," he apologized. "There was..._is,_ a lot I wanna show you about Earth."

"Perhaps we can come back once this is all over," she said quietly, softly running her finger up and down the side of his face.

"Yeah, maybe," he mumbled doubtfully.

"How's your head?" she asked.

"Aspirin's starting to kick in, finally."

"Let me look at it."

Crichton removed the ice pack from his head to let her take a look. She leaned down closer to him, squinting her eyes. "It's stopped bleeding," she told him.

"Thank God," he sighed. "My hand was gettin' tired holding this thing up." He tossed the ice pack to the other side of the bed.

"What are you going to tell your father when he gets here?"

"The truth."

"And you really think he can help?"

"He always has before."

"How many of those flowers are you going to take back to the Scarrans?"

Crichton frowned. "I dunno...how many do you think they need?"

"I don't know how many they _need_," she said. "But I'd say they would _want_ every single seed of them on this planet."

"Well my module was built for speed, not trunk space." He let out a long, deep breath. "I dunno. We'll figure it out later."

Aeryn pulled her feet up onto the bed and laid down close beside him, putting her arm across his stomach and resting her head on his shoulder. After a moment, she said, "Do you think - "

"Baby, please," Crichton groaned. "No more questions. My head hurts enough as it is."

"Sorry," she apologized quietly, and tightening her arm around him, she didn't say another word.

* * *

Crichton slowly peeled his eyes open, which he found to be very difficult, and then suddenly realized he had fallen asleep. "Ah hell," he grumbled. He glanced at the clock at the bedside and saw that he had been asleep for nearly two hours. He had the urge to get up, but Aeryn was laying on top of him, and if he moved too much she would wake up. For a brief moment he decided to just stay where he was, but he was itching to get up. Making his decision, he rolled over so that Aeryn was now on her back and he carefully slid away from her.

"John?" Her voice was heavy with sleep. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, Honey," he whispered, leaning back down next to her. "Just getting some water, I'll be right back." He kissed her softly on the forehead and got up off the bed.

Scrubbing the sleep from his eyes, he placed his hand on the stairway banister and wearily made his way down to the kitchen. Taking in a deep breath, he stood up straight and strode over to the front door, peering out the small window beside it. No car in the driveway yet. He sighed as much out of impatience as out of anxiety and rubbed his eyes again.

"Come on, Dad," he mumbled. "Get here already."

Turning away from the door, he walked into the living room and plopped down on the couch. He tapped his fingers on Wynona as he stared up at the ceiling. He began to think about what Scorpius and Aeryn had said about the Scarrans invading Earth, but he quickly pushed the thought away. "Don't think about it," he told himself.

He fell back into a light sleep, but woke up with a jolt when he heard a car door slam. "Livy!" came a voice from outside, and Crichton instantly recognized it as his father's. He sprang to his feet and then stood motionless, trying to figure out what to do with himself and how to present himself to his dad without shocking the living daylights out of the old man.

"OLIVIA!" Jack roared, and the front door flew open.

He stormed in and headed for the stairs. Crichton ran out of the living room, came to a skidding stop at the bottom of the stairs and shouted, "Dad!"

Jack whirled around to face him and he froze.

Crichton worked his jaw for a moment in silence, then managed to quietly say, "Hey Dad."

"John?" Jack said, stunned. "Is it...is it really you?"

"Yeah," Crichton nodded, beginning to smile. "Yeah, it's me."

Jack's expression of shock didn't change as he slowly came back down the stairs, holding onto the banister for support. Tears were in the old man's eyes, and after studying his son for a moment, he said shakily, "You're back."

"Yeah," Crichton said with a nod, feeling oncoming tears and trying his best to fight them. "I'm back."

* * *

Crichton stood leaning against the counter, his thumbs looped in his belt, his eyes on his father. Aeryn stood beside him with her hands at her sides, also staring at Jack. Crichton had just finished explaining everything to his family and now he was waiting for a response. Both Jack and Olivia had asked a lot of questions and interrupted quite a bit, but now they were completely silent. Crichton chewed on his lip anxiously, watching Jack's face carefully.

"So these Scarrans..." Jack began. "Their race's survival depends on these flowers?"

"Yeah," Crichton nodded.

"And they can't find them anywhere else?" Olivia asked disbelievingly.

"That's what they claim," Aeryn answered.

"Well what happened to all of theirs?" Olivia asked.

Crichton and Aeryn exchanged glances, and Crichton said, "Um...they got...fried. Somebody fried them. They're no good, they're all overcooked."

Olivia gave him a sideways look.

"And you say these flowers are what give them their power?" Jack asked.

"Their technology, yes," Crichton said.

"Well we have to give them to 'em if they have John's baby," Olivia reasoned, looking at her father.

Jack looked up at Crichton. "Yeah I'll help you, son. I'll do anything I can."

Crichton did not feel relieved. He could see it in his father's face; there was more he had to say on the matter. "But...?"

Jack looked away from his soon and stared at the table for a moment. "I'm not sure..." He looked back up at Crichton. "Are you sure it's a good idea to give them the source of their power?"

Crichton shook his head. "I don't have a choice. They have my son."

"I - I know," Jack said. "But before, you told me they were one of the major powers in the galaxy. And this peace treaty sounds like it was forced, that neither side wanted it. They could very well break that treaty, especially now that they know you no longer can create this wormhole weapon."

Crichton rolled his eyes impatiently. "Dad, they need it to survive, not build more weapons. If they wanted to break the treaty, they could do that now."

"I just don't think you should rush into anything," Jack said, holding up his hands.

"I'm not rushing into anything," Crichton replied firmly. "Aeryn and I have thought this through."

"And you really trust them to give your son back?" Olivia asked, her brow wrinkled with sincere concern.

Crichton looked at his sister and responded quietly, "I don't have a choice."

"There are always choices, John," said Jack.

"Look,it doesn't matter!" Crichton said loudly with a sharp shake of his head. "We agreed to the deal and we're here. There's no backing out."

Jack and Olivia exchanged glances and didn't say a word.

"Dad...please," Crichton pleaded, his voice just beginning to break.

Jack met his son's gaze and nodded. "I'll help you, John. You know you have my backing. You always have and you always will."

Crichton pressed his lips together into a thin line, blinked back oncoming tears and nodded. He stood up straight and turned to leave.

"John, where are you going?" asked Olivia.

Crichton stopped, but he did not face his family. "I just...just hafta go...I'm going outside," he finished in a stammer, and quickly left the kitchen.

Aeryn looked back at Jack and Olivia, both humans looking worried and confused. "I'll speak to him," she told them, and turned to follow her husband.

Briskly walking out into the backyard, Crichton let out a heavy sigh and quickly paced around the small space. After a moment he stopped and ran his hands over his face, taking in a deep, slow breath.

"John?" Aeryn's voice came from behind, sounding both perplexed and concerned. He heard her marching footsteps come up beside him. "What was that all about?"

Crichton shook his head and mumbled into his palms, "Part of me didn't think he'd help."

Her eyebrows furrowed. "Why would you think that?"

"I dunno. Maybe I'm just being paranoid."

"You've always been paranoid."

He opened his eyes to look at her and they exchanged a shy smile. Then he looked away from her and a grim expression wiped the smile from his face.

"What's the matter?" she asked.

He hesitated, then turned to his wife again, a broken expression on his face. He swallowed, and looked down at his feet. "I'm just...God, I'm so worried about him, Aeryn. I mean, they could be doing anything to him. Studying him, running tests..." His voice died and he shook his head.

"I know," she replied gently, and reached up to run her hand through his hair.

Crichton put his hands on her hips and pulled her towards him, resting his forehead against hers. She continued to run her fingers through his hair, massaging his scalp. He brushed his nose over hers a couple times.

"We can make it through this, John," she whispered ever so softly. "There hasn't been anything we couldn't overcome together."

Crichton replayed that line in his head over and over again, letting her voice bring his hopes back up. And lifting his head up, he looked into her eyes and said, "You're amazing." She grinned at him; moving his arms around her waist, he pulled her against him and kissed her deeply.

"Are you going to be all right?" Aeryn asked a bit breathlessly when they pulled back.

Crichton nodded, his forehead leaning against hers again. She lifted her hand to caress his face and whispered softly, "I love you."

Tightening his arms around her waist, he whispered back, "I love you, too."

She continued to stroke his cheek for a moment, then lifted her head to kiss him on the forehead. "All right, we should go back inside now. Your family is worried about you."

He smiled weakly and nodded.

Taking her hand in his, they began to walk back to the house. Crichton glanced up to get a good look at the early morning, foggy, earth sky. The smile vanished from his face and he froze in his steps. Aeryn turned back to face him, her brow furrowed. Instead of asking him what the problem was, she followed his gaze up to sky and her expression matched his.

"Frell," she whispered.

Breaking through the fog, high up in the sky, was the front end of a Scarran dreadnaught.

Crichton stared at it for a few more seconds, then without a word, bolted back towards the house, dragging Aeryn after him.

"Dad! Livia!" he bellowed as he ran into the house.

"John?" Jack came into the hallway. "Listen son, I'm - "

"Dad," Crichton cut him off. "We have to go. We have to get out of here now. All of us."

"What?" Jack looked completely baffled.

Olivia came up beside Jack. "Why, John? What's going on?"

Crichton breathed deeply for a moment, fear sinking into him. "They're here," he said quietly.

"What? Who? Who's here?" Jack questioned.

Before Crichton could answer, there was a loud rumble and the ground shook. "No, no, _NO!_" Crichton roared, and he ran for the front door; Aeryn followed. They ran out onto the street, along with half the neighborhood. A house at the end of the street was half demolished. Crichton looked up at the sky and saw red streaks of light coming from the dreadnaught. Everyone in the street was looking up and pointing, some taking pictures.

Swearing under his breath, Crichton rushed back towards the house.

"John, what's going on?" Jack asked harshly, standing in the doorway.

"Dad, just take Livy and get the hell outta here," Crichton ordered.

"JOHN!" Aeryn shouted from the street.

Crichton whirled around in time to see a smaller Scarran vessel coming in for landing. There were multiple others flying through the sky and heading to land elsewhere.

"_Frell!_" he hissed sharply. "Aeryn, get back over here!"

She immediately complied, pulling out her pulse pistol on the way. Once she was inside the house Crichton went in behind her and pulled the door shut, ignoring the loud sound of the Scarran vessel's engines just out in the street. He hurriedly pulled out Wynona, yanked out her chakkan oil cartridge and tapped it on his tongue. Once he was sure it was full, he jammed it back into Wynona.

"John, what's going on?" Olivia asked, her voice filled with fear.

Crichton turned back to look at his family. Olivia was clutching Jack and he was holding her firmly in return, both of them looking deeply frightened. Aeryn was on the other side of the room, looking out a window up at the sky. There was another cracking rumble, and another, and two more after. Objects all throughout the house fell over, crashing and breaking. Olivia screamed when the window in the kitchen burst and the ceiling cracked, pieces falling to the floor.

"Dad," Crichton said firmly, walking up to his father. "You have got to get someplace safe."

"But what about you?" Jack asked fearfully.

"I got my module - "

The front door blew off its hinges, smoke filled the room, and Olivia screamed. Crichton and Aeryn immediately had their pulse pistols up and ready. Four heavily armored Scarrans marched in, scowling and carrying large rifles. All four of them pulled up their weapons, aiming them directly at Crichton.

"John Crichton," one of them growled. "You are to come with us."

Crichton angrily pressed his lips into a tight line and squeezed Wynona hard. Through the door he could hear screaming and crying, loud pulse blasts, growling, and more explosions. His stomach churned at the horrific sounds.

"Lower your weapons," the Scarran ordered.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Crichton snapped. "I had it under control!"

"_Lower your weapons!_"

"Aeryn," Crichton said, not taking his eyes off the Scarrans. "Take Jack and Olivia and make sure they stay safe."

"I'm not leaving you," she said firmly.

"She is to come with us as well," snarled the Scarran. "Now lower your weapons, or we will shoot."

_Damn it_, Crichton silently cursed. _Damn it damn it damn it! _

The leading Scarran made a shot at the floor, right next to Crichton's foot, and Olivia screamed. "I said LOWER YOUR WEAPONS!"

"Dad," Crichton called back. "Get outta here."

"But son - "

"Go NOW!"

The Scarran moved his weapon towards Aeryn and Crichton's heart jumped up to his mouth. She was too far away for him to push her out of harm's way. The Scarran fired his weapon, but Aeryn dodged the blast and it hit the coffee table behind her; she fired three rounds back at him, none of them doing much but making him flinch.

Crichton glanced back in time to see Jack and Olivia squeezing out the back door. He glanced at Aeryn to make sure she was okay, then faced the Scarrans again. He didn't know how the frell they were going to get out of this one. _Think, John,_ he urged himself. _Think, think, think!_

"Our orders are not to kill you," the Scarran snarled. "But the Emperor said nothing about not harming you."

The entire team of Scarrans advanced forward, backing Crichton and Aeryn against the wall. Crichton had the fleeting idea of ramming Wynona into one of the big lizard's mouths and firing until it dropped dead, but he'd probably get killed before he even got close enough.

"Drop your weapons - _now_."

Crichton swallowed hard and without taking his eyes off the Scarrans said to Aeryn, "Hey Baby?"

"What?" she replied, her hard gaze planted straight ahead.

"I think..." He ran his gaze over each of the Scarrans. "I think you were right."

The scarran directly in front of him fired, the green beam hitting Crichton square in the chest. Aeryn screamed out his name and turned to rush over to him, but another Scarran grabbed her and pulled her back. Wynona fell from Crichton's hand and both his hearing and sight began to dissolve, pain spreading through his chest and down his stomach. He deliriously stumbled sideways, holding out one hand to try and brace himself on something, and clutching his chest with the other. The pain increased immensely and his knees buckled, collapsing to the floor, knocking over glass items and books on a nearby shelf. He hit the floor hard, vaguely heard Aeryn crying desperately to him, and all went black.

* * *

A sharp, piercing pain in his chest woke Crichton abruptly. He gasped deeply and squeezed his eyes shut, waiting for it to go away. It burned in the center of his chest for a moment, then slowly faded. Letting out a heavy sigh, he relaxed his muscles again.

"The Human is awake," a deep voice boomed from somewhere above him. He looked up to find a Scarran staring down at him. The reptilian alien kicked Crichton hard in the ribs and chuckled throatily.

Crichton said nothing, looking around at his surroundings. He was on a ship, five or six Scarrans around him. He scanned the room over and over again, each time his heart beginning to pound harder. Aeryn wasn't there. He was about to ask where she was, but thought better of it and shut his mouth.

"He is rather pathetic," said another Scarran sitting in a seat across from him. "Amazing that such a weak species could be so dangerous and valuable."

Crichton worked his jaw and his throat tightened into a knot.

The Scarran laughed loudly. "What's the matter, little Human? Can't speak? Is your mind too inferior for that?"

"He is the one that bombed Katratzi," growled a Scarran who stood at the back. He took a few large steps towards Crichton, scowling down at him. "He destroyed our stock of Crystherium."

Crichton scooted back a little bit, trying to distance himself from the Scarran.

The Scarran smiled broadly. "Look at him, he cowers before me!"

Chuckles came from all around the vessel.

The Scarran grabbed Crichton around the neck and lifted him off the floor. "I could kill you now, Human," he threatened, still grinning widely. "Your tiny little neck would snap like a twig in my hand." He tightened his grip around Crichton's neck and Crichton grunted in pain, then gasped for air. The Scarran laughed and others joined in. Finally he dropped Crichton back on the floor, growled at him, and turned away.

Crichton coughed a few times, holding his hand up to his throbbing neck. Once he got some air in his lungs, he sat up straight. His hand went to his holster, searching out Wynona for at least a small amount of comfort, but his holster was empty. He felt totally naked and vulnerable now, surrounded by a group of Scarrans, trapped on their ship, with no Aeryn and no Wynona.

He crossed his arms over his chest, causing the pain to come back slightly, making him wince, and brought his knees up closer. And he stayed that way, not saying a word, waiting until they arrived at whatever place they were taking him.

* * *

A Scarran held each of Crichton's arms, gripping him tightly, heat radiating from their palms through his coat to his skin. They dragged him through corridors that he knew well by now. Crichton knew that they were taking him to Staleek, but his mind was focused on what was happening on Earth and what they had done with Aeryn.

The Scarran guards roughly pushed him down onto his knees in front of the Emperor; they planted their hands on his shoulders to ensure he remained still.

Staleek grinned wickedly at him. "Your world is a small one, Crichton. And pathetic."

"You bastard," Crichton snarled with all the hate in his body. "Why the hell are you doing this? I was getting your damn flowers! We had a deal!"

Staleek picked up a leaf of Crystherium Utilia from a bowl beside his throne and studied it fondly. "For the survival of our race," he answered. "And because I felt like it."

Staleek rose to his feet and walked over to Crichton. After studying him for a moment, Staleek grabbed Crichton hard around the neck. "Perhaps you'd like to see your pathetic planet right now," he scowled, and dragged Crichton over to one of the thin windows behind the throne.

"Let go of me you sick son of a bitch!" Crichton shouted, struggling against the Emperor.

"LOOK!" Staleek commanded as he slammed Crichton against the wall.

Crichton completely froze when he laid eyes on Earth. Shock and horror wiped his mind blank and his entire body went numb. It wasn't blue anymore. It didn't sparkle like a precious jewel and strike awe. Now it was a murky gray, mushroom clouds littering the surface, explosions of red and orange light spreading over the land. They were destroying it, killing it. It wasn't Earth anymore.

Staleek chuckled with amusement at the horror-stricken look on Crichton's face. "It is a glorious sight."

Crichton hadn't heard. His mouth hung open and a single tear trickled down his face.

Staleek pulled Crichton away from the window and threw him back towards the guards. "You will stay here," Staleek growled. "I may have more use for you."

Crichton finally found his voice and brokenly asked, "What did you do to Aeryn?"

"She is alive," the Emperor replied. "For now."

"And my son?"

The Scarran's eyes gleamed and he smiled. "I will personally enjoy studying him."

Terror overtook Crichton again and he attempted to lunge towards Staleek, but the guards kept him back. "_NO!_ You grotesque _bastard!_ Don't frelling touch him! If you even - "

Staleek shot out a ray of heat at Crichton's face, silencing the Human. "As for your mate, Officer Sun," he began. "She will be used as a test subject for breeding."

Crichton let out a strangled cry, the heat probe preventing him from talking. Finally Staleek pulled his hand back and Crichton sagged forward from exhaustion, his face red and covered in perspiration.

"Get him out of my sight!" Staleek roared.

And the guards dragged Crichton out of the room.

* * *

Crichton was roughly thrown inside a dark cell and the door slammed shut behind him. He slowly got to his hands and knees, his chest throbbing with pain again.

"Commander John Crichton," came a dull yet oh-so-familiar voice from the corner.

Crichton glanced up and his fear was confirmed. "Scorpius," he rasped. "Of all the places they could put me, they shack me up with you." He got into a sitting position and slumped against the wall. "What're you doing here anyway? Get caught following me?"

"You could say that, yes," Scorpius replied darkly.

Crichton chuckled and shut his eyes. "So you gonna lecture me now? Give me the I-told-you-so talk?"

"Do you have any idea what you've done, Crichton?" Scorpius snarled.

"Oh yeah, Scorp. I got front row seats."

"Your world and everything you've ever known is doomed," Scorpius hissed. "And the rest of the galaxy is soon to follow."

"Yup," Crichton agreed. "We're screwed."


	5. Chapter 5

**6**

They came in to question Crichton hundreds of times after they had taken care of his hunger. Occasionally they even dragged him out to ask him about things from Earth that they were studying. Each time he answered their questions by asking about Aeryn. They always beat him up a good deal, but he didn't care. He wasn't going to tell them anything; he would die first.

Occasionally he thought he had heard Human screams, but he was never sure if they had been real or not. He'd like to believe they weren't real, that it was just the heat making him delusional. He tried to convince himself so.

Horrible, nightmarish images would constantly pass through his mind. Visions of his son being poked and prodded, needles being stuck into him, weird devices hooked up to his small head, Scarrans leaning over him with sharp metal objects. There were also images of Aeryn, tied down and being examined, raped by Scarrans, injected with all kinds of drugs. And earth...the surface covered in explosions and mushroom clouds, turned to ashes, his family being tortured. He shuddered and curled up tighter, hot tears burning under his eyelids.

Scorpius let out a quiet sound, drawing Crichton's attention. Crichton looked over at the leather-clad, sprawled out body. He was surprised the hybrid was still alive.

"How you doin' over there, Scorpy?" he asked raspily.

Scorpius made no response, verbally or physically.

"You dyin', Grasshopper?"

The half-breed's head twitched.

"Wish _I_ would die already," Crichton mumbled, shifting his eyes back to the cell door.

Just then, the door pulled open and bright light streamed in. Crichton winced, the light stinging his eyes. Two scarrans marched in and abruptly yanked Crichton up to his feet.

"Aw, you gotta be kidding me," Crichton groaned. "I'm not telling you lizards anything, get it through your thick heads."

One of the Scarrans glowered at him and growled through clenched teeth, "The Emperor wishes to see you."

"Oh...great," Crichton said, dread pitting in his stomach.

The air outside the cell felt ice cold, but refreshing. Crichton didn't put much energy into walking, he just let the Scarrans push, pull, and drag him all the way. He did faintly wonder what Staleek wanted with him after all this time; part of Crichton hoped the big reptile finally decided to kill him.

Finally, they came to a stop and they dropped Crichton on the floor. When he didn't bother to sit up, a guard grabbed him and pulled him up to his knees. Staleek was standing directly in front of Crichton, grinning down at him.

"Enjoying your stay here, Crichton?" he asked.

"Well...it's not exactly a five star hotel," Crichton grumbled. "And the temperature is a little warm."

Staleek narrowed his eyes as he studied the human. Then he lifted his head pridefully high again. "You must be wondering why you are here."

"Don't tell me," Crichton began. "The flowers aren't the right kind. Or...you wanna stick me in the breeding program too?"

Staleek bared his teeth, a low growl coming from his throat. "I am done with you."

Crichton stared blankly at the Emperor, not quite sure what that meant. "So you're finally gonna kill me?" he muttered weakly.

"No," Staleek replied, and a wide smile stretched across his face. "I am sending you to your home planet so that you can see how much it is suffering, so that everywhere you go, you will be faced by the destruction that you caused." His smile widened and his eyes gleamed with excitement. "And every moment of your life you will regret that you destroyed Katratzi, and forced me into that _pathetic_ peace treaty!"

For a moment Crichton didn't speak; he wasn't quite sure what he was feeling at the moment. "What about my family?" he asked quietly.

"Officer Sun died weekens ago," Staleek announced with a broad, vicious grin.

At first Crichton made no response and didn't move. Then he slumped forward in shock and his face crumpled in terror.

"And your abomination of an offspring has been dissected for further studies of your species."

Crichton remained completely still, his expression frozen in place.

Staleek was still beaming victoriously. "I will put your species to good use, Crichton. I swear it."

* * *

Ash fell from the sky like snow; a dark blanket of clouds covered all traces of how the sky used to be. There wasn't anything that hadn't been turned into a pile of ash and rubble. Some piles were still burning, but they were left ignored. Dead bodies were strewn everywhere; teams of Kalish were recovering them for their Scarran masters to study. Scarran guards bullied the Humans around, pushing and kicking anyone they wanted, laughing heartily about it. The Kalish were kinder to the Humans, but they tried not to show it so much so as not to anger the Scarrans. They were rounding people up into groups, writing lists, organizing earth objects, boxing up the planet and sending it up into space to the striker.

Crichton watched, frozen in place, as all this took place. The Scarrans noticed him and would glower at him, but they made no attempt to come after him - Staleek had said they wouldn't. The Humans, he quickly learned, knew who he was. All of them. They would stare, point, and mumble to each other. Of course they knew the famous astronaut who returned to Earth with a band of aliens. None of them looked happy to see him. He figured they were blaming all this on him, and rightfully so.

He turned away from the camp and walked in the opposite direction. He didn't want to see anymore. Not now. Staleek had said he would put the Human race to good use, and Crichton had many guesses as to what that could mean - at the moment he'd rather not think about it. His eyes darted to each and every object he walked passed, and each time his heart sunk even lower. He began to drag his feet as he walked, gazing at the sight, traumatized at what his home planet had become - at what he had caused. Eventually he stopped and sat down on the ground, staring at the large, burned down ash pile he could only guess was once a large building. He watched as Kalish dug through it, examining objects and pulling corpses out. Crichton wondered if anyone had found a place to hide, a place to stay safe. But another part of him wondered what it would matter, there was nothing left here, no way to survive. They were all better off in space with the Scarrans. He hated to admit it and it made his stomach churn.

After a while he got to his feet again and kept walking. He needed to find some food or water, if there was even any of it left. But he had no idea what part of earth he was on; he figured America, since all the Humans were speaking English and certainly sounded American, but he still didn't know where he was. He had hopes of finding his family; they were all he had left, if they were even alive. Soon the ash began to irritate his throat and the air began to stink with the odor of dead bodies and other things he couldn't identify. The ash never stopped falling and soon Crichton was coughing non stop, his throat becoming raw, his chest burning. It left a bitter taste in his mouth and the fact that it was ashes from bodies, buildings, and everything else, made him nearly vomit.

By nightfall, he finally came to a small camp were there was a clearing in all the ash and rubble. A small group of Humans sat huddled around a burning fire. As soon as he got close they all fell silent and turned to look at him. He stood staring at them, not sure what to say, or if he could even talk at all. Maybe he was better off just continuing on -

"Hey," one of them said, a woman, and she rose to her feet to greet him. "Come on over here, you look exhausted."

Crichton hesitated, then nodded his thanks and stumbled over next to the fire. He crossed his arms over his chest, trying to keep himself warm. He kept his eyes on the fire; he didn't want to face anybody right now.

"You look familiar," one of them said, leaning forward. "Have we met?"

"No," Crichton said with a shake of his head, keeping his eyes on the fire. "You must be thinking of someone else."

The man frowned, then leaned back and seemed to forget about it.

"We can't stay here long, they'll find us soon," said one of the others.

"I hear they're taking everyone up to space to make them slaves," said another. "They won't leave until they've got every single Human."

They fell into conversation for a while, but Crichton tuned them out. All he could think about was that Aeryn and his little D'Argo were dead, the Humans were enslaved by the Scarrans, Earth was in ashes, and his family could be dead too. He felt absolutely disgusted with himself. He wished he had Wynona, he'd just end his life too - he deserved it.

"Wait a minute," the man from before said, rather loudly, leaning forward and staring hard at Crichton. "I _do_ know you, you're that astronaut that brought all those aliens here a year ago!"

"John Crichton?" another said in awe, turning to face him as well.

Crichton looked up at them; they were all staring at him, each one looking surprised.

He only just opened his mouth to speak when the man lunged at him. Everyone else was on their feet in a flash, trying to stop him. The man knocked Crichton over flat on his back and immediately began landing punches to his face. Crichton didn't really bother trying to stop him; it was painful but it was different from the pain that had been tormenting him over the days...weeks...however long it had been.

"GET OFF HIM!" screamed a female voice that he vaguely registered as familiar.

Crichton heard the solid sound of a fist hitting flesh, and the man toppled over off of Crichton.

Voices rose loudly again, everyone talking at once.

"Don't get into this, you freak!" the man snarled. "I could kill you right now!"

"Yeah, just try it fekk face!"

"Please, whoever you are, just...leave us alone!"

"You're one of _them!_ You _scum!_"

Crichton pulled himself up on one elbow and carefully touched the blood pouring from his mouth. He dazedly looked up at the fight that was taking place, and vaguely noted that Chiana was standing protectively in front of him.

"Chiana?" he drawled.

She turned back to look at him and quickly knelt down beside him. "Come on, Crichton, get up."

"Hey, you're not going anywhere!" the man demanded.

"Oh just let them go!" a woman insisted.

"She doesn't belong here, we should just kill her! And he - "

The group fell into another argument while Chiana helped Crichton up to his feet. "Lean on me," she said softly. "You look like dren."

Crichton made no reply; his mind wasn't really working at the moment - it hadn't been ever since he had been pulled from his cell.

Chiana led him away from the small camp, walking away from the struggle that was getting increasingly louder and more violent. They walked for a while until they came to a small shelter that had been built out of debris.

"Isn't it drad?" Chiana said; she was smiling but it did not reach her eyes.

Crichton only stared at it; he made no reply.

She helped him down to the ground again and sat down next to him, studying him closely.

"Are you okay? Any injuries?"

It was a moment before Crichton answered, his voice rough, "No."

"Well, you got one on your mouth," she pointed out, and jumping to her feet she dug through a small pile of items she had in the corner. She brought out a cloth and brought it over to him.

Crichton looked at the cloth, then up at her. "Where did you get that?"

"I snurched it," she said with a small smile. "Gotta scavenge to survive on this rock."

Crichton took it from her and began to dab at his mouth, wiping the blood away. After a moment of silence, he turned to her and said, "Why are you here? I mean...how...?"

"The Scarrans found us," she answered quietly. "W-we uh...we were getting worried about you and Aeryn and...and we came after you. They caught us."

Crichton's heart pounded in his chest. "Moya...?"

"Sh-she's...I dunno what they did with Moya and Pilot," Chiana said sorrowfully, looking down at the ground. "Or any of the others. They had me locked up for a while and then...th-they just...threw me down here." She bit her lip, then looked up at him again. "What happened, Crichton? How did all this...I mean, I thought...Is Aeryn...?"

"She's dead," he answered abruptly. "And so is D'Argo."

Chiana's lips parted in shock, but then her normal composure snapped back. "H-how do you know? I mean...did you...did you see them?"

Crichton shook his head. "They told me. Staleek told me."

"W-well he could be lying!" Chiana said excitedly. "That's what the Scarrans do, they mess with your head! She could be down here, like us!"

"Pip," Crichton interrupted firmly, glaring at her. "Don't."

For a minute she looked like she might press on, but finally she swallowed and nodded. "So...what happened?" she asked shyly.

"Exactly what you and Aeryn told me would happen," he mumbled. "They screwed us in the fine print."

"They...they came through the wormhole?"

"Only way to get here."

He shivered from the ice cold air, dropped the cloth, drew his knees up to his chest and folded his arms.

"Here," Chiana said, pushing his legs back down. "This is better." She pulled his arms open and leaned against him, her back against his chest.

She was incredibly warm, he was already heating up. Crichton wrapped his arms around her and gently leaned his cheek against her head. "I'm glad you're here, Chiana," he said softly.

"Yeah, me too," she replied, stroking his hand with her thumb.

"Pip?"

"Yeah old man?"

"How long has it been...since Aeryn and I left Moya?"

"I dunno...maybe ten solar days...maybe more."

"Ten..._days?_" he asked, his brow furrowing. "Not weekens?"

"It mighta been two weekens," she said. "Once the Scarrans caught us I lost track of time. Why?"

Crichton didn't respond, his mind elsewhere.

Chiana shifted slightly and said, "Crichton?"

He snapped back into reality. "Uh, just...just curious, is all."

They fell into silence for a while before Chiana spoke again. "What are we gonna do now?"

"I dunno, Chi," Crichton replied quietly. "I really don't know."

* * *

Chiana dozed peacefully in Crichton's arms, but he did not sleep. He never even so much as shut his eyes. There were distant screams and pulse blasts, but that wasn't what kept him awake. His mind was concocting visions of Aeryn and D'Argo far worse than before; occasionally he thought he heard Aeryn's voice or little D'Argo's cries, but when he would look, neither of them were nearby. He tried to fight off the horrific images with happy memories, but it only made his heart ache, made him loathe himself even more.

He had been so blind before, so driven by the determination to save his son. Everyone had seen it but him: Aeryn, Chiana, Jack, even Scorpius. They had all been right: he loved his son with all his being, but little D'Argo's life wasn't worth all this. And in the end the Scarrans had killed him anyway. Those frelling bastards -

"You still there, Crichton?" Chiana asked sleepily.

He cleared his throat and answered, "Yeah, I'm here."

She shifted slightly, then twisted her head up to look at him. "Did you sleep?"

"No," he answered simply. Then he added, "I had plenty of that up on the striker." And after a brief pause, he said, "Chiana, tell me something...Why would the Scarrans put us on the same exact spot on Earth?"

Chiana shook her head and said quietly. "They didn't. I've been here...f-for a while now, a-and..." She licked her lips and swallowed. "I - I didn't have anything to do, s-so I...I walked. I thought...I thought maybe you or Aeryn would be here." Her mouth twitched into a small smile. "I guess I was right."

"Yeah..."

"So what're we gonna do?" she asked, sitting up and moving out of his arms.

Crichton pursed his lips briefly before responding. "I need to try and find my family. Find out whether or not they're..." He swallowed hard. "Still alive."

"I - I'm sure they're f-fine," she said half heartedly. "Just...just fine."

He glanced at her, then crawling out of the small shelter, he got to his feet. The sky was still dark, but the ash had stopped falling. Instead, there was a biting wind, carrying dust, ash and dirt. Crichton winced and held up his hand to block the particles from getting into his eyes.

A shudder ran down his body as he looked around. The sight was indescribable. His stomach turned to lead. _I did this..._

"Hey," Chiana's voice came softly from beside him. "It wasn't your fault."

He bit his lip, glanced around one more time, then turned to her. "We need to figure out where we are. Then we'll go from there."

"R-right," Chiana complied with a nod.

"And we should find some food and water," Crichton added. "If there is any..."

"Well if there's not, then we can just snurch some off the Scarrans," Chiana suggested brightly.

* * *

Crichton stood with his thumbs looped in his belt, Chiana standing beside him. His heart was in his throat as they watched the scene in front of them. The Scarrans were separating the humans into three different groups: men, women, and children. They poked, prodded, shoved and pulled, tearing children from their mothers, hitting anyone they wanted across the face. Some of the men were trying to fight back, the women and children were screaming and crying. Cuffs were slapped on every human's wrists and they were pushed onto Scarran transport vessels.

Only one thought was passing through Crichton's mind at that moment - one voice. _I will put your species to good use, Crichton. I swear it._  
"God," Crichton croaked. "They're taking slaves. Not just the men, but...all of them."

Chiana softly shook her head. "Crichton, you...you don't know that."

"They won't stop at that, either," he went on, mumbling quietly, his eyes glued to the screen. "They'll use 'em as test subjects...for breeding...experimenting weapons...drugs...viruses..."

"Crichton - "

"This is all my fault."

Chiana stepped around in front of him, staring up at his face. "Hey, look at me," she said gently. When he didn't comply, she repeated loud and harsh, "Look at me, Crichton!"

His blue gaze shifted to her, and when their eyes met, her face fell; sorrow and sympathy shadowed her expression. After nervously licking her lips, she spoke softly. "This...this isn't your fault. I mean, you did what you had to - to save the little guy."

"He's dead," Crichton said flatly. "I didn't do anything to help anybody but the Scarrans. I handed over earth on a silver platter, along with the rest of galaxy." He moved his eyes from her back to the large group in the short distance. "Planet on a stick," he mumbled.

Chiana shook her head again. "Crichton..." Her voice died and she shifted her jaw around, searching for words. But she could find none, and bowed her head.

They stood in that position for a while, unmoving, the wind lashing at them. Then Crichton stepped passed Chiana and began walking towards the large crowd.

"Crichton?" Chiana worriedly called after him, racing to keep up with him. "What are you doing? Crichton?"

"I'm going to find out where we are," he answered, his voice flat.

Fear flickered across her face and she threw a quick glance in the direction of the large group. "I...I d-don't think that's such a g-good idea, Crichton," she sputtered.

Crichton ignored her and kept walking. As he drew closer, some heads turned to face him, some out of curiosity, some out of surprise. Luckily no Scarrans spotted him - not yet. He slipped into the edge of the crowd.

"Hey," he spoke in a low tone to the person closest to him, a woman. "Can you tell me what part of Earth this is?"

"Where have _you_ been?" she chuckled and shook her head.

"Please," he pleaded, his voice firm.

She looked back at him, her expression one of irritation. Then her face changed with realization. "Oh my God...you're...you're John Cri - "

"Yes," Crichton interrupted. "I am. Now could you please tell me where we are?"

For a moment she only stared at him. "Washington...D.C., Washington D.C."

"D.C.," Crichton repeated.

"Yes," she said with a nod.

Suddenly Crichton was roughly pushed from behind and he hit the ground face first. Chiana raced over to him; screams of fear came from behind him. He shifted and looked behind him to find a Scarran glaring down at him, holding a large weapon that did more than intimidate Crichton.

"Stay out of our business, Crichton," the Scarran snarled. "Or the next time you won't be treated so kindly."

He heaved his weapon up against his shoulder, turned away and stalked off. People stared after the Scarran, then turned to look at Crichton. Another Scarran came up and stood between Crichton and the crowd. "Keep moving!" he bellowed, startling half the Humans.

"Crichton, come on," Chiana urged quietly, grabbing his arm and tugging.

Crichton shook his head to get out of his daze and pulled himself back to his feet. Chiana steered him away from the scene.

"What'd you find out?" she asked, wrapping her arm around his waist. "Are we close to your home?"

"We're a few states away."

"States?"

"Walking would take...a long time," he said. "And we can't go that long without food or water."

"We...we could steal a transport ship," Chiana offered, looking up at him.

Crichton came to a halt, then looked down at her.

"What?" she said, a smile slowly stretching across her lips.

"That's...actually not a bad idea," he mused.

Chiana gave him a quiet but excited laugh. "Really? You wanna steal a Scarran ship?"

Crichton looked around at their surroundings. "That's the best option."

She giggled and leaned her head against his shoulder. "Finally, we get to do something fun!"

He smiled faintly. "We have a problem though..."

"What?" she asked, looking back up at him.

"We don't have any pulse pistols," he pointed out.

Chiana looked down at the empty holster on his thigh. "They took Wynona?"

"Yeah..." he replied solemnly.

"Bet that pissed ya off," she chuckled, and gave his thigh a pat.

He frowned, then went back to the point. "If we do this, we can't get spotted."

"And what if we do get spotted?"

"Then run like hell."

* * *

Chiana was squatted down like she was ready to pounce on one of the Scarrans at any given moment, and it made Crichton uneasy. He glanced at her continuously, praying she didn't make any rash moves. Crouching behind a pile of crates and boxes wasn't exactly the best spot for hiding and planning.

"Come on, Crichton," she whispered eagerly. "Let's get 'em!"

"Pip, we can't just jump 'em!" he reminded her in a hiss. "We don't have any guns. We have to do this carefully."

She cocked her head and bit her lip, her eyes trained on a Scarran walking by.

"_Chiana_..." he warned through gritted teeth. "_Wait_."

"Fine," she huffed. "Just hurry up already, I wanna get outta here."

"Yeah, you and me both gray girl," he muttered as he leaned over to glance around the crates.

This group of Scarrans they found was a troop of five, each carrying a large carbine and wearing thick armored plates. Apparently they had set up camp here, and were taking the rest of the day off. They all sat huddled around a fire, chatting amongst themselves, eating and drinking. Crichton had a bad feeling churning around in his stomach, but this was their best chance.

"Well?" Chiana asked, leaning far into his space, nearly laying across his lap.

Crichton pursed his lips and gently pushed her back. "Not yet. Just gimme another minute, I wanna make sure they're done with the ship."

He looked back around, and Chiana leaned forward again, bracing herself up on his leg.

Crichton glanced back and forth between the open vessel and the group of aliens sitting in a circle. He chewed on his lip anxiously. They certainly didn't look like they'd be coming back to the ship any time soon; he didn't want one of them to come up behind them while they were powering up the engine. They had to play this very carefully.

"Look, they're getting drunk and fat," Chiana said. "Let's just go snurch the thing already!"

"Okay," Crichton huffed, leaning back against the crates. "We have to be quick and quiet. This is a one shot mission."

"Got it," she said with an eager nod.

He paused, staring at her as something suddenly came to mind. "You know how to fly that thing?"

She glanced at the Scarran vessel and shrugged. "Can't be too hard. I've flown lots of things."

He stared at her with great uncertainty.

"It'll be fine, Crichton," she said with a wave of her hand. "We'll just be quiet until we find the right button."

Letting out a rush of breath, he shut his eyes and leaned his head back. "Okay, Chi. But if we die, I'm blaming it on you."

"Fine by me," she chuckled.

Crichton glanced back at the group of Scarrans one more time, saw it was all clear, then whispered, "_Go!_"

Chiana immediately sprang to her feet and stealthily made her way over the side of the ship. She hid in its shadow and waited for Crichton. He bit his lip and looked at the Scarrans again before bolting over beside her. Once he made it, breathing a bit heavily, she smiled at him. He gave her a look that told her to shut up, and she turned away from him, still smiling. She crouched down and he followed her example. She slowly stepped around to the boarding ramp, glanced at the Scarrans, and began to quietly climb up the side of the ramp. Crichton's heart hammered against his chest, his eyes darted back and forth between Chiana and the Scarrans. She disappeared inside the vessel, and his heart beat even harder: his turn. He placed his hands into firm positions on the ship and hefted himself up onto the ramp. His feet made a soft _patter_ sound as they hit the metal, but it drew no attention from the Scarrans. He let out a long, deep breath, and crawled into the vessel. Making his way over to Chiana, who was crouched down in front of the main console, he breathed, "Any luck?"

"In a microt," she whispered distractedly.

He looked back over his shoulder at the group in the distance. "Chiana, hurry," he urged.

"Just gimme a microt," she hissed.

Crichton swallowed hard and a hot sweat broke out on his forehead. He wished Aeryn were with him right now...

"Got it," Chiana announced victoriously, smiling pridefully at herself. Her fingers played across the controls quickly.

Crichton felt a wave of relief when he heard the engines powering up, but his heart jumped up to his throat when he heard the whine of a carbine weapon charging right at his ear. He stiffly turned his head to look up at a Scarran glowering down at him.

"John Crichton," the Scarran snarled. "The Emperor told us you might cause trouble."

Crichton's eyes were glued to the barrel of the weapon aimed directly at his face. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad if he died...

Suddenly there was a loud blast and sparks flew out from behind the Scarran. Two more blasts and the Scarran stumbled to the side, growling and gurgling. Chiana stood in the corner, holding up one of the Scarran weapons. She fired at the Scarran three more times before he finally dropped dead. Crichton would have felt relieved except that they had drawn the attention of every other Scarran outside. Chiana darted over to the console while Crichton watched as the troop of Scarrans picked up their weapons and jumped to their feet, some of them already running towards the vessel, shouting curses and threats.

"Chiana..." Crichton said with a tone of panic.

"Hang on," she replied.

A green blast of energy whizzed past Crichton's face and exploded on the bulkhead. He dived out of the way of two more. The Scarrans were at the ramp now.

"CHIANA!"

She shrieked in panic and frustration, slammed her palm down on the console, and the boarding ramp began to rise.

Crichton snatched up the heavy Scarran rifle and rushed over to the door. He aimed it down at the Scarrans, who were trying to grab onto the ramp, and fired. He hit one in the shoulder, another in the side, only making them wobble a bit. But it was enough of a delay. The ship was off the ground by the time the ramp was halfway up. The Scarrans continued to shoot up at the vessel, hitting it a few times, making the ship rock; but before Crichton could voice a complaint, they accelerated fast, throwing him off his feet. Chiana let out a loud cry of victory, jumped up from the seat and bounced over to him.

"That was so drad, Crichton!" she beamed, and landed hard on top of him.

He let out a rushed breath, the wind slightly knocked out of him, but she was too light to do much damage. She laughed and rolled her head around. He smiled up at her and chuckled, then let his head drop back against the metal grated floor.

They'd done it.

* * *

To Be Continued... 


	6. Chapter 6

**Bigguy204: **I hope this won't disappoint you too much, but I don't have an explination for the Scarrans getting through the wormhole. :P That's not really something that I nor my editor had thought of. I'm sorry that it bugs you so much and that you so wanted an answer to that. :P I'll try to avoid such things in the future. And as for "Weight of the World" by Analise, I have never even heard of it, so if this story is anything like it, it's pure coincidence.

Thanks to all you guys for reading and leaving me reviews! I really appreciate it! I hope you all enjoy this chapter. Thanks. ;)

* * *

**5**

"Do you have any idea where you're going?" Chiana asked, standing at his shoulder.

Crichton glanced at his hands to make sure he had them on the right controls, then looked back out the main view window. "Well, there aren't any points of reference anymore, but I'm...pretty sure I know where I'm going."

"How do you know?"

"Well, home is south of D.C., so I figure, if we just head in that direction, then we should get to Florida."

They fell into silence, the low hum of the engine being the only sound.

Chiana was the first to break the silence. "Here." She held out a small square package with silver wrapping.

Crichton arched an eyebrow curiously at it. "What is it?"

"Emergency rations," she explained with a little wiggle of her body, smiling proudly. "I found some in the storage compartment," she said as he took the package from her.

Crichton examined it for a minute, one hand still on the piloting controls. He held it up to his nose for a sniff, but there was no smell. This struck him as odd and a bit unnerving; even food cubes had scent.

"Well open it already!" Chiana insisted.

He held the package up to her and looked out the front window again. "Open it for me, I have to pilot this thing."

She plucked it from his fingers, ripped open the bag, and handed it back to him.

The food inside was an ugly colored green square with speckles of brown about the size of a poptart, and it was as stiff as cardboard.

"It's _food_, Crichton," Chiana pointed out sharply. "It'll keep you alive - eat it."

"Looks more like a block of snot," he muttered. But he was hungry. He bit off the corner and began to chew. It was so tough that his jaw quickly tired of chewing; it was dry and rough. And the taste -

He scrunched his face up and forced himself to swallow it rather than spit it out. It hurt his throat as it went down.

"God," he gasped. "How can anybody eat this crap?"

"It's not supposed to taste good. It's for emergencies," said Chiana.

"This stuff will _cause_ a damn emergency."

A loud, abrupt static came from the console, startling them both.

"W-what is that?" Chiana asked, her voice barely laced with panic. "What's going on?"

Crichton's response was cut off by a gruff Scarran voice.

"_Stelka three, you are way off course. Explain cause immediately_."

The console went silent; Chiana and Crichton only stared at the single flashing button.

"Ah hell," Crichton mumbled. "You have got to be kidding me."

"_Stelka three, respond_."

Crichton looked back at Chiana - she shrugged.

"_Stelka three, respond now!_" the voice snapped impatiently.

Crichton pressed down on the lit up button with trembling fingers. "Uh...hey...um, we're fine. We just had a...a weapons malfunction. We um...we had to get away before we...exploded."

He grimaced. _Great job, John. Sounded like a real Scarran there._

The console was silent for a moment, making Crichton's heart thud fast.

Then the voice spoke again. "_Explain cause of malfunction_."

"Uh..." Crichton glanced at Chiana again and she shrugged once more. "We're working on it."

"_Report to outpost JZ-12 for repairs_," the voice commanded.

"Uh, no, that's okay," Crichton said. "We're all good here. Everything's fine. We'll find the source of the problem and...get back on course...Over and out."

He released the button and flipped a switch next to it, closing the comms channel.

"Damn it," he hissed as he sunk back in his chair.

"Th-they must have beacons or something on all their ships," Chiana said nervously.

"That team we stole it from probably reported it, too," Crichton stated as he scrubbed at his eyes. He turned to Chiana again. "Look for the tracking device."

"_Me?_" she said, taken aback. "_You_ look for it!"

"I'm flying!"

"Well I can fly it!"

"You don't know what to look for or where Florida is!" Crichton retorted. "Just look for it, Chiana!"

She huffed and snapped her head angrily, storming off towards the back of the ship.

If Aeryn were there, she would've handled the situation much better. She would be piloting the ship with ease and Crichton would be sitting next to her doing absolutely nothing, as usual. His stomach back flipped and his heart sunk; he missed her so badly. Just imagining the way she would have chewed him out for how poorly he improvised that conversation with the Scarran made him smile and made his eyes sting with tears.

Chiana plopped down in the co-pilot's chair with a flustered sigh. "I can't find it."

"They'd find this ship even if we destroyed the beacon," Crichton said. "We have to ditch it."

"And what? Walk all the way to Flouriidah?"

"Florida," Crichton corrected. "We'll drop it off once we get to the boarder, then we can walk from there. It'll take a couple days on foot to get where my house...used to be."

* * *

The cold wind brushing across his face woke Crichton. He shifted and buried his nose deeper into Chiana's hair. She had demanded they stop to rest after he nearly collapsed from exhaustion shortly after they abandoned the Scarran ship. He had not slept well; he constantly slipped in and out of consciousness and his dreams were filled with terrible, haunting images. He shuddered, pushed away the visions and moved his arm around Chiana's waist. 

"You awake, Crichton?" Chiana's voice came softly, barely audible against the howling wind.

"Yeah," he answered.

She was quiet for a passing moment before speaking again. "You...you were talking...in your sleep."

His heart stopped. "What did I say?"

"You said Aeryn's name a lot," she replied shyly.

Crichton shivered and squeezed his eyes shut.

"I know what it's like," Chiana began, her voice beginning to tremble. "I miss D'Argo...s-so much."

He tightened his arm around her. "Yeah, but it wasn't your fault that he died," he murmured.

"It wasn't your fault," she insisted. "You don't even know for sure if she's really dead."

"Chiana, stop it," Crichton growled. "Aeryn's dead. End of story. No point in getting my hopes up."

"But Crichton - "

He pushed away from her suddenly and got to his feet, not looking at her. "We should get going," he said, his voice cold.

Chiana stared up at him, startled and hurt. She swallowed hard and shakily got to her feet. "R-right. Let's...let's go."

Crichton began walking and did not look back to see if she was following.

* * *

Chiana stayed close to Crichton as they walked; she huddled closer still when they began to pass large groups of Humans. They had been walking for over two days now; eating only the Scarran food they had taken from the ship and sleeping curled together on the ash covered ground. At first there had only been barren land, no signs of life. This area was the first they had come to where there were Humans. People stared as they passed, no one saying a word. 

Crichton fumbled nervously with his empty holster; Chiana reached down and grabbed his hand, offering some comfort. He automatically gripped her hand back, but there was no sign of acknowledgment of her gesture on his face. Just the same dazed expression as his eyes scanned the area.

"Do you know where we are?" Chiana asked quietly, wrapping her free arm around his.

Crichton softly shook his head. "I...I'm not sure."

"Well...why don't we ask somebody?" she asked a bit nervously, glancing around at all the small camps of people.

He didn't respond; Chiana glanced up at him, then swallowed and licked her lips, looking around at all the Humans.

"W-why aren't there any Scarrans here?" she asked quietly.

Crichton shook his head and muttered, "I dunno."

"Maybe uh...maybe they haven't gotten th-the chance to come here yet," Chiana stammered.

"JOHN!"

Crichton whirled at the sound of his name; at first he didn't recognize the woman limping towards him. Her cloths were badly tattered and dirty, scratches and mud all across her face. But the closer she came, the more he froze with absolute relief and shock. It was his younger sister Olivia.

Olivia collided into him, nearly knocking the wind out of him, and hugged him tightly. He stiffly put his arms around her, still amazed that she was alive. She felt small and frail, like she'd break in his arms. Crichton pressed his lips into a thin line and blinked back tears.

"I've been so worried about you and Aeryn!" Olivia sobbed into his shoulder. "When I saw them take you...they shot you with this gun...I thought..." Her voice was cut off by sobs.

"Livy, it's okay," Crichton whispered, stroking her hair. "I'm here."

Olivia leaned back to look at him, tears streaming down her face. She smiled at him and stroked his cheek. "I'm so glad you're okay."

Crichton shook his head. "I didn't think...the chances of you still being alive...my God, I'm so sorry!" He pulled her back into a firm hug, holding her tightly against him. "I'm so, _so_ sorry," he said, his voice quickly losing it's steadiness.

"What are you sorry for?" she said. "_You're alive!_" She pulled back from him and turned to Chiana. "And Chi, I'm so glad you're okay too!"

Chiana smiled uncertainly as Olivia embraced her.

When Olivia pulled back, she looked back and forth between them like something was missing. Finally resting her gaze on Crichton, her brow furrowed, she said, "Where's Aeryn?"

Crichton's lips parted but no words came out. He worked his jaw for a moment, then clamped his mouth shut and averted his eyes from his sister.

"Uh, w-we'll tell you about it...later," said Chiana.

Olivia gave the Nebari a questioning look, but Chiana only pursed her lips.

"O-okay, that's fine," Olivia responded, looking back at her brother. "You guys can come to my tent."

"You have a tent?" Chiana asked brightly.

Olivia nodded. "Most of us here have built one. Since the attack, the weather has been real bad."

"Drad! I had one too!" Chiana said with a wide smile.

"Liv, where's Dad?" Crichton asked solemnly.

When Olivia looked at him again, the smile faded from her face and the twinkle in her eyes died. She swallowed hard and Crichton didn't miss the tears that had pooled in her eyes before she blinked them away. "We'll talk at the shelter, John. Come on, I'll show you where it's at."

* * *

Crichton watched his sister with growing concern; she was limping rather severely. He tried to sneak a glance at her leg, but he couldn't get a good look; the long gray jacket she wore covered her down to her knees. Once, her foot snagged on a piece of debris and she nearly hit the dirt face first, but he caught her in time. She kept her eyes downcast and mumbled a thanks, then pushed away from him and kept walking. Crichton's guilt and hate for himself began to throb in his chest. 

"Here we are," Olivia announced as they came up to a shelter big enough for three people to sit in, with a blanket drawn over the entrance. "Camping skills come in handy," she said with an awkward, sad smile. "Here, come on in." She pulled aside the blanket and gestured them to go inside. Chiana ducked and walked in first, Crichton behind her, and Olivia came in last.

"So tell me what happened," she said to Crichton. "How...I mean, all this...what happened, John?"

He didn't look at her and kept his eyes on the fire. "Scarrans screwed us, as usual. Aeryn saw it coming but I...I didn't...I couldn't just give up on Little D like that."

"They came through the wormhole," Chiana clarified "A-and they weren't s-supposed to."

"Why?" Olivia asked, her forehead wrinkled with concern and fear. "Why would they attack Earth?"

"'Cause they wanted to," Crichton answered. "It's in their nature to conquer. And their Emperor just has a grudge against me."

Olivia stared at him in silence, a look of horror on her face. She licked her lips and asked very gently, "What happened to your son?"

Crichton parted his lips, hesitated, then said quietly, "He's dead. They killed him so they could..._study_ him." He nearly choked on the word.

"And...Aeryn?"

"She's dead too," he answered quickly. "Dunno how she died. I'd rather not."

"My God..." Olivia whispered. "John, I...I'm so...that's horrible, I'm so sorry."

He shook his head. "It's not your fault this happened, it's mine."

"Now Johnny - "

"What happened to Dad?" Crichton interrupted, finally shifting his blue gaze to meet hers.

Olivia bit on her lower lip and looked away from him. "I dunno," she answered quietly. "We got separated shortly after they took you. I dunno what happened to him." Her voice broke and tears filled her eyes. "I've looked for him, asked around, but..." She shook her head and faced Crichton again.

Crichton shut his eyes for a moment, pushing the pain and guilt away to the back of his mind. "What happened to your leg?" he asked shakily.

"I injured it during the attack," she explained. "I was running from a group of those...Scarrans, and I tripped and fell. A piece of scrap metal stabbed into my thigh, right above my knee." She absentmindedly rubbed her hand over the spot on her leg. "I had to pull it out myself. It was at least two days before I found someone who could try to fix it up."

Crichton stared at her leg for a moment, his brow creased with terror, his mouth partly open. He abruptly got up and pushed passed Chiana, throwing the blanket out of his way and stepping out of the shelter. Ignoring his sister and Chiana's calls for him, he angrily stormed through the camp.

Gritting his teeth and clenching his hands into tight fists, he repeatedly cursed under his breath. Rage at himself and Staleek burned furiously in his chest. Everything he ever cared about was either dead or so completely injured and miserable: Moya, Pilot, Aeryn, Chiana, his son, Dad, Olivia, and all of Earth to go along with it. He came to a sudden stop, all the grief, sorrow and pain finally breaking free, racking his body, and he sunk to his knees. He trembled with sobs, his fists clenching so tight his nails dug into his skin. Taking in a few deep, sharp breaths, he opened his eyes and glared in the direction of the cliffs. Hefting himself back up on his feet, he began to make his way over to the edge.

He looked down at the dark waves crashing over sharp rocks and rubbed furiously at his eyes to wipe away the tears. He breathed heavily has he watched for a minute, his eyes scanning every rock, watching the waves smash against the cliff side. It would be so easy to just step off the edge and end it all. It would end all the pain, and he so very much didn't want to feel anymore. Aeryn might've rebuked him for it, but he didn't care - he just wanted it all to stop.

Chiana's voice came from somewhere behind him, but Crichton vaguely took note of it. He continued to stare at the waves and rocks.

"Crichton!" Chiana shrieked as she came up beside him. "What the frell are you doing?"

She studied him hard, then followed his gaze down to the bottom of the cliff. She looked at him again and her expression changed to one of pure fear and worry. "Crichton..." she began softly. "Please..."

"Go away, Chiana," he said blankly, still gazing at the rocks.

Chiana shook her head softly. "I won't do that. I can't let you do this. Come back to the tent."

Crichton shook his head. "No."

"John," she said gently, and cautiously reached for his hand. He let her take it, but he did not return the gesture. "Come on, you don't want to do this."

"Yes I do," he replied in a clipped tone.

"It...it won't change anything."

"It'll stop the pain."

Tears flooded Chiana's eyes and she gently squeezed his hand. "Aeryn wouldn't want you to. A-and...and I don't want you to either. Please...John..."

"I shouldn't be alive, Chi," he said, his voice beginning to break. "Aeryn's dead, my son's dead, Dad's probably dead too...they all died because of me. Billions of people on Earth have died because of me, the Human race is being enslaved..." He shook his head. "I shouldn't be alive," he said again.

"This isn't your fault," Chiana said to him, her tone soft. "It's the Scarrans that did this, not you. _They_ attacked Earth, _they_ killed the little guy and Aeryn. Not you. It's Staleek's fault, not yours."

"But it's because of me all this happened," he mumbled.

"You might think you've got nobody left who cares about you, but you're wrong, Crichton!" Chiana snapped suddenly. "You've got me and Olivia!_ I_ love you!_ I_ don't wanna lose you! Or am I not important enough for you to stick around for?"

Crichton finally turned his head to look at her, his eyes glistening with sorrow and regret.

"Well...well _fine!_" Chiana spat, pulling her hand away from his. "If that's how you feel...then..._frell_ you, Crichton!" she shouted, the gray tears sliding down her cheeks. She pushed him hard to the side with both hands. "But I'm still not letting you throw yourself off a cliff! You're all I have left!"

She started to shake and turned away from him, small sobs escaping her mouth. Crichton tried to swallow the lump in his throat, and stepping up to her, he took her in his arms. She clung to him as if she'd never let go, occasionally whispering "Frell you," between sobs into his shoulder. He hid his face in her hair, his own tears finally crawling down his cheeks.

* * *

Crichton absent-mindedly stroked Chiana's hair as he gazed out at the ocean. She had slowly stopped crying and fell silent in his arms. They now sat on the ground, still clinging to each other, the wind blowing through their hair. Chiana shivered and Crichton tightened his arms around her. 

"Crichton?" Chiana asked in a small voice.

"Yeah, Pip?"

"Do you...do you really wanna die?"

He hesitated before answering. "Most of the time. But sometimes...I just keep going."

She leaned harder against him. "When D'Argo died...I didn't want to live either. But after what happened with you a-and the wormhole weapon...w-when you...ya know, nearly died...I realized I still had things to live for, people I wanted to protect." She went silent and swallowed. "I still miss 'im though," she added in a whisper.

Crichton remained silent, her words sinking into him; he continued to burry his fingers in her soft hair. It had a different texture than Aeryn's hair, but it was still surprisingly soft.

"Don't kill yourself, Crichton," Chiana said suddenly. And then she said in a weak, trembling voice, "I need you." She sat up suddenly and glared at him. "You're not allowed to die. You understand me, Crichton?"

His heart clenched and he kissed her gently on the head. "Okay, Chi," he murmured into her hair.

She settled against him again, her head resting on his shoulder and her arms wrapped around his neck.

"John?"

Crichton looked back over his shoulder at hearing Olivia's voice.

She limped over to Crichton and Chiana, pulling her jacket tighter around her. She looked down at them, her expression one of deep concern.

"Is everything okay?" Olivia asked.

"Yeah, we're all right, Livy," Crichton answered with a soft nod.

Olivia's gaze shifted to Chiana. "My brother telling me the truth, Chi?"

Chiana smiled slowly and nodded. "Yeah."

Olivia smiled faintly and eased herself down beside Crichton. "You had me worried when you walked off like that."

"Sorry 'bout that," Crichton said in nearly a whisper.

"It's okay, I understand," Olivia said softly. "You've...been through a lot."

Chiana shifted suddenly, pulling away from Crichton and awkwardly standing up. "I'm uh...I'm gonna go back to the tent. You guys..." She gestured at them nervously. "You talk." And spinning on her heel, she walked away.

Crichton watched her go for a moment before returning his gaze to the crashing waves.

He and Olivia sat in silence, the only sounds being the waves and the wind.

"Can I ask you something?" Olivia asked, her voice quiet.

"Sure," Crichton answered simply.

She hesitated, running her tongue over her lips. When she finally spoke, her voice carried a slight tremble. "Do you think Dad's alive?"

He swallowed hard and replied. "Truthfully, I'd rather he be dead. Then he wouldn't have to suffer along with the rest of the Human race."

She bit her lip and bowed her head. "What're they gonna do to us, John?"

Crichton shook his head slightly. "I dunno."

"Then guess," she said firmly, startling him. She watched him with dark and glassy eyes.

He stared at her, indecisive on whether or not to tell her the truth. Making his decision, he looked back out at the gray ocean. "They'll probably take every last Human and anything else they want, then leave."

"And...what will they do with us...once we've left Earth?"

"Probably use 'em as slaves, study 'em, cross breed 'em, use them in experiments."

"Why would they do that?" Olivia asked, her voice beginning to break. "Why take everything and just leave? Why conquer a planet if they're not even gonna use it?"

"Earth's too far away from the rest of the galaxy for them to make it part of their empire." He added in a mumble, "And it's small...tiny...compared to other planets. All they came here for was the flowers."

Olivia studied her older brother for a passing moment before she spoke softly. "Don't blame yourself, John."

"There's no one else to blame," he replied brokenly, his voice heavy with guilt.

"There's _them_, the Scarrans," she offered. "They did all this, not you."

"I led them here."

"John - "

They were interrupted by the roaring sounds of Scarran vessel engines close overhead. Crichton craned his head back in time to catch sight of five large ships coming in for landing. Shouts and screams of terror came from all the many camps.

Crichton was on his feet in a flash, pulling Olivia up with him. He grasped her hand tightly in his and tugged her along behind him.

"John, what's going on?" she yelled over the loud noise of panicking people and Scarran blaster fire.

He didn't answer her as they ran towards the tent. "CHIANA!" he bellowed.

The curtain was thrown aside and the Nebari rushed out before Crichton even reached for it. She quickly ran to his side, a wild and frightened look in her eyes.

Suddenly they were surrounded by a flow of running Humans, screaming in fear. Crichton looked towards the nearest Scarran ship, seeing a large group of the aliens running after the Humans, large carbines in their hands. He turned in all directions and saw the same thing. His stomach turned to lead as he realized that they were trapped - this was a roundup.

Crichton grabbed hold of Chiana's arm and tightened his grasp on his sister's hand; he looked around frantically, trying to find a way out of this.

"John...?" Olivia pressed in closer to him, trembling with fear.

"What're we gonna do, Crichton?" asked Chiana.

All the Humans had stopped running in the same direction. Now they were darting in every which direction, pushing and shoving each other out of the way. The Scarrans were closing in, forcing everyone to cluster together.

Crichton's heart hammered with more force in his chest when the reptilian aliens began tearing through the crowd, grabbing people and hulling them towards the large ships.

Suddenly he was violently shoved from behind and he hit the dirt face first. Crichton didn't waste time being dazed and confused; he pushed himself back up and whirled around. A Scarran had Olivia by the throat and was pulling her away.

"LET HER GO!" Crichton roared, and he lunged at the Scarran's back.

The Scarran snarled, and in one quick motion, reached back to grab Crichton around the neck, lifted him over its shoulder and slammed him on the ground.

"_John!_" Olivia screamed, struggling against the Scarran's hold.

Crichton lay still on the ground, his back and head on fire with pain, the wind knocked from his lungs.

Chiana moved to spring at the Scarran, but he pointed his carbine at her and growled, "Stay out of this, Nebari. And keep Crichton out of our dealings - or you will both die."

Chiana only stared at the Scarran, stiff with fear. The Scarran scowled at her, then turned away, tugging Olivia after him.

Crichton could hear his sister still yelling for him, her screams filled with terror. His heart broke and his chest pounded with self-loathing. He coughed, took in a deep breath, and looking up at Chiana, said, "Help me up, Pip."

Without saying a word, she knelt down and helped him to his feet. Nearly as soon as he was up, he was knocked down again by someone ramming into him.

"Hey!" Chiana shrieked. "Watch where you're...going..." Her voice lowered and died away.

Crichton groaned, sat up, and turning to see who had run into him, he was frozen by the face that was staring back at him with equal astonishment.

It was Aeryn.

* * *

To Be Continued... 


	7. Chapter 7

**MoyaCrewAvenger: **Hm. Now I know how good it is! Thanks for being so jealous. :P  
**Ever and Anon: **Thanks so much for all that you said! ;)

Thanks to everyone else for reading, and I hope you guys enjoy this chapter.

* * *

**4**

Once Crichton's mind began to function again, his first thought was that he had finally lost it completely.

He remained completely still as he stared at the face of Aeryn Sun, his breath caught in his chest. All sound and movement around him had blanked out.

"Pip," he began, his voice rough but his tone flat. "Am I hallucinating, or is that...Aeryn?"

"That...that's Aeryn," Chiana answered, her own eyes glued to the female Sebacean.

Aeryn was the first to make movement of any kind, blinking as her eyes glossed over with tears. She spoke, her voice quiet and quavering. "John..."

Crichton suddenly leapt to his feet as if he'd been burned, and took a step back from Aeryn. "No, you're not her!" he yelled, his tone shaking with defiance. "She _died! _This is some kind of trick Staleek's playing!" He pointed at her accusingly. "You're one of those bioloid things!"

"Crichton..." Chiana began, turning to him.

"John, please," Aeryn pleaded, also getting to her feet. She took a step towards him, but he backed up again.

"You stay the hell away from me," he snarled.

Pain flickered across her face, but she didn't move. She was visibly trembling and more tears gathered on the rims of her eyes. Finally, she said, "What can I do...to convince you?"

Just seeing her again made his heart ache painfully. But seeing her looking so broken and vulnerable...He began to tremble himself and blinked back the sting of tears.

"Say 'baby,'" Crichton instructed.

"Baby," Aeryn replied without a microt's hesitation, her pronunciation just slightly off, her voice accented in a strange yet beautiful alien way.

Crichton's heart stopped and he blinked. "Ice cream," he prompted, his voice beginning to lose its steadiness.

"Ice cream."

"Gun."

"Gun."

"Dishwasher."

Aeryn paused, then shook her head slightly. "You never taught me that one."

"Hey guys," Chiana chimed in, stepping up to Crichton. "I hate to interrupt, but we really need to get out of here."

Neither Crichton or Aeryn acknowledged her, staring straight into each other's eyes, their faces still expressing shock.

"Crichton!" Chiana said loudly.

He snapped to attention and finally tore his eyes from his wife. "Right. Um..."

"The Scarran forces are weaker on that side," Aeryn explained, turning and pointing. "It should be easier to slip away undetected."

"Great," Crichton said, not looking at her. "Let's go then."

* * *

They were noticed, but the Scarrans let them pass without interfering. The reptilian aliens wanted them out of their way and out of their dealings.

Crichton, Aeryn and Chiana walked for some time before deciding they were far enough away from the chaotic event. They came to a stop at one of the many empty tents.

"I'm...I'm gonna go look around a-and try to find some food," Chiana announced in a stammer. Then she quickly walked away, leaving the two of them alone.

Crichton drew his gaze up to Aeryn's face once more, still in shock that she was here and alive. Aeryn met his eyes with hers and pursed her lips, her eyes beginning to glisten again. He took a cautious step towards her and lifted a hesitant hand to her face. Her trembling lips stretched into a watery smile as soon as his fingertips grazed her skin. Crichton's heart thudded in his chest and his breath was stolen away.

Aeryn leaned into his touch and whispered his name in a shuddering breath. In an instant, he had his arms firmly around her, crushing her against him, shaking as he buried his nose in her hair. His relief and love were too overwhelming to speak, so he just inhaled her scent and held her as if he'd never let go. Aeryn clung to him with equal strength, shivering in his arms.

"Aeryn..." Crichton finally managed to whisper, his voice choked with tears. "Oh God, Baby...I thought you were dead."

"I didn't know what had happened to you," she cried into his shoulder. "When they shot you...and you just collapsed...I thought...I didn't know..." She didn't finish and shuddered against him.

He pulled back enough to look her in the face. "What'd they do to you? Did they - "

She pressed her fingertips to his mouth, halting his speech. "Not now, John, later."

Taking fistfuls of his jacket, she pulled him in for a hard kiss. He immediately opened to her, pushing his lips firmly against hers, driving his tongue deep into her mouth, his hands finding their way under her shirt to run across her hips and over her back. Aeryn put her arms around his neck, holding onto him tightly, and brought her legs up to wrap around his waist. Crichton moved his hands to support her and carried her into the closest tent. Once inside, they stumbled down to the ground, mouths still locked together in a passionate kiss.

"Aeryn," Crichton breathed before kissing her again. "I love you - " He kissed her once more. "So much."

"I love you too," she replied, while simultaneously trying to nibble at the corner of his mouth.

He smiled broadly before bringing his lips fully over hers.

* * *

When Crichton woke up, he half expected it all to have been a dream. But Aeryn's naked body firmly snuggled against his was proof that it had been real. His heart fluttered and he smiled, moving his hand to run it through her hair. He indulged in the feel of the silky, black strands sliding between his fingers.

A soft moan came from his wife, and she nuzzled her face closer against his neck, her breath tickling his hot skin. "About time you woke up."

He chuckled. "Waiting for me?"

She hummed a 'yes' and then lifted her head to look at him. "I missed you," she said softly.

He knew what she meant by the sorrowful glimmer in her eyes. "I missed you too," he whispered as he stroked her face. He wasn't going to tell her the extent of his misery, though. And hopefully Chiana wouldn't say anything either. The last thing he wanted right now was for Aeryn to find out he nearly threw himself off a cliff.

Aeryn's features were shadowed with a melancholy look as she tenderly ran her fingers over the scar above his eyebrow. Crichton studied her intently, his eyes scanning every aspect of her face, memorizing her all over again. Love and longing surged throughout his body, and pushing her onto her back, he settled on top of her and began to lightly run his mouth over her neck.

"Aeryn...we really need to talk." His voice became a mumble as he planted a kiss beneath her ear.

"Later," she whispered, already breathless, and brought her arms up around him.

* * *

Crichton awoke from his light doze to find himself alone. His heart sunk with both disappointment and concern. After hurriedly dressing himself, he stepped outside.

He glanced around, looking for Aeryn, but instead found Chiana sitting huddled next to a small fire with a heavy blanket around her shoulders. When she saw him, she beamed.

"I thought Rygel was only complaining before," she began, eying him knowingly. "But he was right. You guys are _loud_."

He blushed faintly and smiled awkwardly as he strode over to her. "Um...where's Aeryn?" he asked, trying to change the subject.

"She went over there somewhere," Chiana replied, pointing in the direction. "Towards the cliffs."

His heart skipped with growing worry as he looked out towards the ocean in the distance.

"I _told_ you she wasn't dead," Chiana said with a proud smile.

"Thanks, Pip," he said, not really paying attention, as he began to head for the cliffs.

He quickly found his wife sitting curled up a few feet away from the cliff's edge. The way she had her knees up with her arms wrapped around them made his gut wrench. He knew the feelings that went with that position all too well. If she noticed him, she did not show it, keeping her eyes trained on the crashing waves down below.

Crichton came to a stop beside her and slowly reached out his hand to brush his fingers against her hair, not wanting to startle her. She shifted slightly, but still did not acknowledge him. He continued to graze his fingers gently over her hair, but she remained silent and unmoving. With his heart in his throat, he carefully sat down beside her, leaving space between them. He didn't prompt her, he knew she'd talk when she was ready.

It was sooner than he expected.

"I thought you'd notice," she said softly.

He gazed at her momentarily before saying, "Notice what?"

"That I..." Aeryn paused and shivered. "Recreated differently."

Crichton's throat constricted and his insides twisted into hard knots. His heart ached, wanting desperately to take away her pain. "I did notice," he admitted quietly. "But I...I knew...what they had done to you, Aeryn. Staleek told me when - " He stopped and worked his jaw before continuing. "I wanted to talk about it before we did anything."

"I didn't," she said firmly.

He nodded slightly. "I know."

When she next spoke, her voice was heavy with guilt and pain. "I want to tell you, John, but I just can't...I'm not ready to..."

"Baby, it's okay," he said tenderly as he slowly reached out to her, pulling her against his chest. "I understand. It can wait."

"They never impregnated me," she told him. "That's why they let me go - at least I think that's why."

Crichton kissed the top of her head. "I'd have thought they would've killed you."

"I think at first they were expecting me to die in the process," she muttered with a slight laugh. "Maybe they just let me go 'cause they were tired of dealing with me."

"Whatever their reasons, I'm glad they did."

She pushed herself closer against him, sliding her hand under his coat and vest to gently run it over his warm chest. "What'd they do to you?" she asked weakly.

He almost didn't want to tell her, knowing how much easier he had had it. "Not much, really," he began. "They just...threw me in a overly hot cell with Scorpius and kept me in there. They pulled me out sometimes to ask about things from Earth that they were studying, but that's it."

"Why'd Staleek let you go?"

Crichton shut his eyes and clamped his mouth down tight. "Because he wanted me to see how much Earth is suffering. He wanted revenge for what happened on Katratzi and for forcing him into the peace treaty with the Peacekeepers."

"When did they release you?"

"Just a few days ago."

Her hand came to a halt on his chest and it was a moment before she spoke. "I was released just before I ran into you."

Crichton protectively tightened his arms around her. "Honey..." he whispered into her hair. "I'm so sorry."

"John..." She suddenly sounded completely broken and it made his chest tighten. "I saw them...I saw D'Argo..." She paused and he could feel her begin to tremble, and when she spoke again, her voice was thick with tears. "They cut him open, John."

This he knew, but he went rigid at the idea of Aeryn having to see that.

"I watched as they did it," she confessed, tears sliding down her face. "They made me. And he wasn't even dead or unconscious when they did it. He was wide awake, and they just - " She was cut off by a sob erupting from her throat.

Crichton knew that there was nothing he could say to make her feel better. Even throwing all the blame on himself wasn't helping him any. There was nothing that could ease the pain of losing a child - the child's death having been disgustingly brutal and being the one responsible for it only added to the pain. But Crichton couldn't possibly imagine witnessing it. Just the thought of it made him sick.

"He's dead, John," Aeryn sobbed onto his shoulder. "D'Argo...our son...he's..."

_He's dead because of me,_ Crichton thought bitterly._ I killed him...I killed my son, my six month old child._

Aeryn suddenly sat bolt upright and gave him a cold, piercing glare that turned his insides to ice. "This is all _your_ fault!" she snapped, tears still shaking her voice.

He looked at her utterly broken, guilt racking his body. "Aeryn - "

"If you had just stayed on Moya like I told you to then they would never have taken D'Argo!" she shouted, wringing his coat in her fists. "They would've left him alone and he would still be alive," she cried, less harsh this time, as if she were trying to convince herself. "It's your fault," she whispered, her voice cracking. She took in a deep shuddering breath as she leaned forward to rest her forehead against his, moving one hand up to his hair, curling her fingers into a fist.

Crichton tightened his trembling arm around her and lifted the other to stroke her face. He softly rubbed his nose over hers, trying to think of something to say. He wanted to take away her anguish, tell her that he knew it was all his fault, tell her that he was going to fix it somehow. After slowly running his tongue over his lips, he said, "Aeryn - "

"CRICHTON!" Chiana's voice tore through the wind and crashing waves, interrupting them.

They both sat bolt upright and looked over at the Nebari quickly approaching them. Aeryn dashed away her tears and her face set to a stony expression. Crichton did his best to set aside his raging emotions and blinked away the mist in his eyes.

"What's the problem, Chi?" he asked gruffly.

"S-Scarrans," the Nebari stammered. "They're...they're here." She stepped up next to Crichton and pointed up to the sky.

Sure enough, there was a Scarran vessel coming in their direction fast. And from the way it was maneuvering, they were planning to land.

"Why would they be coming here?" Aeryn asked ponderously, her gaze trained on the approaching ship.

"Me," Crichton answered, his heart sinking into his stomach.

"Wha - what do you think they want?" Chiana asked him, looking up at his face.

At hearing the question, Aeryn also turned to look at him, her eyes flickering with a mix of fear and anger.

"Dunno," Crichton said. "But we'll know soon enough."

The ship eased itself down to the ground, its loud engine drumming in their ears. It remained running as the boarding ramp lowered and three Scarrans cantered out towards them.

Aeryn pressed herself against Crichton's side, partly protectively, but also in fear. He felt a shudder run down her body as she reached for his hand and gripped it tightly. He glanced at her and his chest throbbed at the frightened look in her eyes.

"Commander John Crichton," the nearest Scarran growled. "You are to come with us."

"What for?" Crichton asked.

The Scarran scowled impatiently. "The Emperor wishes a word with you."

"Well then he can come down here!" Chiana snapped, taking a step forward.

Crichton gently put his hand on her arm. "Pip, it's okay," he said quietly.

She turned to him. "But Crichton - !"

"Chi, it's fine," he repeated. "There's no point resisting. They'll just drag me up there anyways."

He took a step forward but Aeryn did not let go of his hand, pulling him back to her. "John, don't go," she pleaded, her eyes gazing into his desperately. "Staleek might...he might not let you go."

"Aeryn, he doesn't need me for anything anymore."

"That's why he might kill you."

Crichton pressed his lips into a thin line as he studied his wife. After a moment, he leaned in close and kissed her tenderly, just barely flicking his tongue over her top lip. "It'll be okay, Aeryn," he whispered once he pulled back. "I'll be back soon."

* * *

Just when Crichton thought he might explode in anger at how much the Scarran guards escorting him were poking at him with their carbines, they walked into Staleek's throne room. Once his eyes set on the Scarran Emperor an overwhelming amount of anger built up inside him. He curled his hands into tight fists, lacking Wynona to grasp by the handle.

Staleek's mouth stretched into a wide grin, sharp yellow teeth gleaming. "Welcome back, Crichton. How is the stay on your homeworld?"

Crichton ground his teeth as he glared at the Scarran with all the hate in his body. The Emperor grinned broader, pleased.

"What do you want?" Crichton asked darkly, nearly shaking with malignity, struggling to keep himself from lashing out at the alien.

"I wanted to inform you that we will soon be leaving your planet," Staleek explained.

This quelled his intense feelings for only but a moment. "So what happens to me?"

Staleek narrowed his eyes as he studied the Human. "I have contemplated killing you - a slow and painful death that you deserve. But I came to the decision to leave you here, on your dying planet." His scowl twitched back into a large smile. "You will die alone, the ashes of your species surrounding you, the guilt of it bearing down on you. No man could have a worse death."

Crichton swallowed hard in a dry and constricted throat, grinding his teeth once more.

Staleek rose to his feet and stood directly in front of Crichton, glowering down at him. "And, I wanted to thank you sincerely for restoring power to my race. Without you, we surely would have come to be weaker than even the Peacekeepers."

Crichton glared at the scaly face, images of the Scarran Emperor poking his son, cutting him open flashing through his head. He breathed heavily, abhorrence trembling down his limbs.

"And now that there is no longer any threat of wormhole weapons," Staleek continued. "I will wipe out the Sebacean race from the galaxy!"

Crichton wanted to threaten him, spit something so incredibly terrible at him to keep him from starting another war - but he could say nothing.

Staleek took a step closer, his face uncomfortably close to Crichton's, his hot breath spreading over the Human's skin. "I enjoyed tearing your offspring apart."

Crichton snapped in that instant, letting out a loud cry of rage as he rammed himself against the Scarran. His attempt only knocked Staleek back a step or two, and the Emperor grabbed Crichton by the throat and threw him hard on the ground. The guards quickly secured Crichton by the arms before he could lunge at Staleek again - but Crichton still struggled relentlessly against their hold.

"You sick _BASTARD!_" he roared, fuming in hot rage. "He didn't do anything! How could you do that to a six month old kid? You frelling - "

His rant was abruptly cut off by Staleek raising his hand and firing a blazing heat probe at Crichton's face. Crichton let out a choked cry, his head snapping back from the force, his face already reddening and sweating from the intense heat. Staleek's sharp eyes narrowed, watching the Human struggle against the burning ray, a wicked smile forming on his lips. The Emperor watched for another moment before finally pulling his hand back, ending the heat probe. Crichton let out a gasp and slumped forward, panting.

"Take him back to his pathetic, pile of dren planet," Staleek ordered.

And they dragged Crichton from the room.

* * *

Crichton pushed himself away from the Scarran with the same amount of strength as the Scarran used to throw him, causing him to hit the dirt with even more force. Aeryn immediately rushed to him; the Scarran vessel fired up its engines and soared away into the sky again.

"John, are you all right?" asked Aeryn. "What happened?"

He picked himself up from the dirt, a dark, angry expression still on his face. It must've startled her, because she went still for a moment, staring at him uncertainly.

"I'm fine," he growled, and got to his feet.

She was eying the reddened patches of skin on his face, but said nothing.

"What did Staleek want?" she asked instead.

"They're leaving."

"Leaving...?"

"Leaving Earth. They're going back home."

Her eyebrows furrowed. "And they're...leaving us here?"

"Yup. Want me to die an unhappy man."

He kicked hard at a nearby piece of rubble, sending it flying through the air and landing in the distance.

"John," Aeryn began softly. "What's the matter?"

"What do you think the problem is, Aeryn?" he snapped, turning his dark, angry gaze on her. "I gave the Scarrans everything they ever wanted! I gave them power! And they took that and destroyed Earth and now they're gonna go wipe out the entire Sebacean race! They killed my son, raped you, and enslaved every Human being alive! All of this, _everything_, is all my _frelling_ fault! I did all this! I screwed over my own planet and billions of Sebacean men, women and children!"

He whirled away from her, his body shaking with anger and guilt, anguish rolling off him. Shutting his eyes, he took in a couple deep, slow breaths, trying to calm himself. Aeryn's arms encircled his waist from behind as she leaned against his back, placing a soft kiss on his neck. Crichton let out a trembling sigh and lifted a hand to stroke one of hers that was resting on his stomach. After a few passing moments, his intense emotions finally quelled down, feeling safe and protected in the arms of his wife.

"I'm sorry," he apologized quietly to her, grazing his fingertips over her knuckles. "I didn't...I shouldn't have yelled at you like that."

"It's okay," she replied, and he could feel her nuzzle at his shoulder. "I understand."

"This _is_ all my fault, Aeryn," he stated quietly.

"None of that, John," she said softly. "You were trying to save our son. You did what you thought was right."

"You warned me about this though, and I didn't listen."

Aeryn was silent; she tightened her arms around him and kissed his neck again, longer this time, her cool lips lingering on his skin. "What are we going to do?" she murmured, her mouth brushing against his skin, her breath tickling him.

He stroked her hand in ponderous silence, a sudden idea coming to him, his mind wandering to the folded pages of wormhole equations still stashed away in the pack on his belt. Determination settled inside him, and he said, "I've got a plan."

To Be Continued...


	8. Chapter 8

**3**

Crichton felt Aeryn's body tense up, her breathing going still. "A plan to do what?" she asked carefully.

"There's something...something I gotta try," he said slowly.

Aeryn was doing her best to lean over his shoulder, trying to get a good look at him. "Try what, John?"

He turned in her arms to face her, staring straight into her eyes. "Wormholes, Aeryn," he said, quietly, his voice hinted with regret. "That's the answer."

"The answer to what?" she asked, her tone faintly pitched with fear, her brow creased with confusion.

"All this, everything that's happened," he explained, quickly glancing around them. "There has to be a way to change it."

Aeryn shook her head. "John, you're not making any sense."

Crichton chewed on his lip as he studied her, nearly deciding to trash the idea and forget about it. But he placed his hands on her shoulders, gazed even deeper into her dark eyes and said, "I think...there might be a way to...go back and fix this...stop it from happening."

"What do you mean 'go back'?" she asked sternly, eying him sharply.

He ran his tongue over his lips and there was a sparkle of desperation in his eyes. "A wormhole, Aeryn," he reminded her gently. "I can go down a wormhole - back in time; find where I screwed up and change it."

Aeryn stared at her husband in silence, her expression unchanged. And when she finally spoke, it was with an icy tone. "You do realize, John, that it's wormholes that completely frelled up your life in the first place? Why take the risk when you might only make things worse?"

"It can't get any worse than this, Aeryn," Crichton said with a shake of his head. And he thought, _except if I lost you._

She was still staring at him with a hard gaze, and he said, "I don't like it either, Aeryn. Not at all. But I have to do _something. _There has to be a way to fix this."

"And what if the Ancients kill you for frelling with the time line?" she snapped.

"Then at least I'll die trying," he replied, not meeting her eyes, his voice gravelly with dislike of the idea.

Aeryn sharply shook her head. "No, John - "

"Aeryn," he interrupted firmly, placing his hands on either side of her head. "I need to try this; I need to see if there's a way to fix it. All of this happened because of me; there's gotta be something that I can change to prevent all this from happening. I cannot accept what Staleek's done. And I need you to understand that; I need you to understand that I've got to try this."

She gazed at him in silence, her dark blue eyes glossing over with tears. But she blinked them away and straightened her back. "If you do this, then I'm coming with you."

Crichton shook his head. "Aeryn - "

"Don't argue with me! There's no frelling way I'm letting you go on this suicide mission on your own!"

He stared at her in silence. He was compelled to argue with her, do everything he could to make her stay. Going back in time didn't appeal to him in any way, and it was going to be risky and dangerous. But he knew that arguing with Aeryn would be pointless - he'd end up getting clobbered in the head and waking up on a ship in space with her piloting. Aeryn wasn't going to stay here while he ran off to be the hero, as she would put it. Maybe he'd try later, but not now. Sometime when she was more calm.

With a sigh, Crichton ran his hand over his eyes and mumbled, "All right, fine. Let's go tell Chiana what's going on."

* * *

As soon as she saw him, Chiana leapt to her feet and rushed over to Crichton, smiling widely as she jumped up to wrap her arms and legs around him, hugging him tightly. 

"What'd those fekkiks want?" she asked, leaning back enough to look at him, cradling his face between her hands. "Did they hurt you?"

"Nah Pip, I'm fine," he answered, a small smile on his lips. "Staleek just wanted to let me know he's leavin'."

Her eyebrows knitted. "Leaving? They...they're leaving Earth now?"

"Yes," Aeryn spoke up. "And we will be soon, too."

Chiana looked back at Crichton, her eyes dazzling with excitement as well as wonder. "We're leaving? Where we goin'?"

Crichton opened his mouth to speak, but ended up chewing on his bottom lip, a troubled look shadowing his face. "We're going - "

"Back in time to stop all this dren from happening," Aeryn cut in.

He shot her a mildly irritated look.

"We're going back in time?" Chiana asked, her face lighting up, her eyes dancing. "Drad! How far back are we going?"

"Just a couple days," said Crichton.

The Nebari's excitement died down slightly, but she smiled again. "Well that'll still be fun!"

"We're not going to have fun, Chiana," Aeryn scolded. "We're going to set things right."

Chiana's smile wavered. "Well I know that, Aeryn. I just meant..." She stopped and swallowed. Looking back at Crichton she asked, "I get to come too, right?"

Crichton exchanged glances with Aeryn, then holding onto Chiana's hips, carefully eased her off him. "We'll see."

"Whaddaya mean 'we'll see'?" Chiana snapped. "Why can't I go? I can help!"

"Pip, I didn't mean - "

"That's not fair, Crichton! You can't leave me here all by myself!"

"Chiana, I didn't mean we're gonna leave you behind!" Crichton said firmly. "Aeryn and I just need to figure some things out first."

"Like where to get a ship," said Aeryn.

"Snurch one from the Scarrans," Chiana suggested. "It's easy, Crichton and I did it."

Aeryn looked to her husband with a questioning look.

Crichton sighed. "Chiana, just let me and Aeryn talk for a while, okay? Once we get some stuff sorted out, I'll come let you know."

"W-well I wanna help plan!" the Nebari insisted. "I'm good at plans! Better than you are, anyways."

Crichton smiled faintly. "I know you are, Pip. But just give me and Aeryn a few minutes, okay?"

Chiana shifted her feet around impatiently, then nodded. "All right, Crichton. Just...don't take too long, okay? And...and come a-and let me know...when you're done."

He smiled a bit wider, his eyes soft. "Deal."

* * *

Crichton and Aeryn walked in silence for a while, fingers intertwined, cold wind blowing through their hair. 

"Do you have any ideas what you should change?" Aeryn asked finally, her voice quiet.

"A couple," Crichton replied.

"Tell me."

They fell silent and continued walking for another minute before Crichton spoke.

"They took D'Argo because I wasn't on Moya," he began. "I figure...if I'm on Moya when they show up, then they won't take 'im."

Aeryn's hand tightened around his. "They'll just take you instead."

He grimaced and said, "Probably. But once I refuse to help and they won't have any leverage to make me, they won't want me around anymore."

"They'll kill you if they find you're useless," she stated in a matter-of-fact tone.

Crichton shook his head. "I don't think so. Staleek's had plenty of chances to kill me and he never did."

"Well if they don't kill you, they most certainly won't let you go."

"That's what you're for," he said with a slight smile.

Aeryn looked at him with a furrowed brow. "What, I'm supposed to rescue you from a Scarran striker?" She shook her head. "That won't work."

"I know it sounds suicide, Aeryn, but I think that's where the mistake was."

She shook her head. "I don't care if it is. If it's going to end with you in the hands of the Scarrans or dead, we're not doing it."

He sighed lightly. "Then I won't let them take me off Moya. They won't have any reason to drag me back to the striker. Besides, they'll still think I can use the wormhole weapon."

Aeryn came to a stop and turned to face him. "I don't like this, John."

"I don't either," he said as he took both her hands in his. "But I have to do _something_. This is the only option I see."

She pressed her mouth into a tight line, then leaned forward, snuggling against him. "I'm scared," she confessed in a whisper.

"I know," Crichton said as he moved his arms around her waist, gently rubbing her back. "So am I."

And he meant it.

* * *

They had been lucky - too lucky, to find a vessel so close by. They were unlucky, however, that the group of Scarrans was quite large this time. There were at least eight of them, and they looked more menacing than ever before. Or perhaps that was merely Crichton's nerves distorting his perception. Truthfully, he hadn't expected any Scarran patrols to be left on Earth; Staleek had said they were leaving soon .He glanced at his wife crouched down beside him and admired her calm composure. He didn't feel calm at all; he felt like he had swallowed a frozen brick. 

"We're out-numbered," Aeryn reported in a hushed voice, peering at the Scarran patrol from around the corner of the building they were hiding behind.

Chiana took a look herself and muttered, "Frell me."

"Why are there so many this time?" asked Crichton.

"I don't know," Aeryn replied, turning back to face them. "But if we're going to put up any kind of fight, we need weapons. Scarrans have tough skin, but even they don't like to have pulse blasts flying over their heads."

"Well where the frell are we gonna get weapons?" Chiana asked.

Crichton looked at his wife, wondering the same thing.

"Our only option is to take theirs," answered Aeryn.

Crichton nearly gawked. "Take the _Scarran's_ weapons?"

"Yes," she confirmed quiet seriously.

Not even Chiana looked like she liked this idea. "B-but Aeryn - "

"They are the only ones on the planet with any weapons," Aeryn interrupted.

"Yeah, but Aeryn," Crichton began. "How the hell are we supposed to steal them from the Scarrans?"

"We wait until the sleep cycle. At the most, two will stay awake to keep watch," Aeryn explained. "And taking what weapons we can will leave them defenseless."

"You're fahrbot!" Chiana hissed. "That's a frelled-up plan, Aeryn!"

Aeryn's eyes sharpened. "I know it sounds suicidal, and under normal circumstances I would agree. But these are not normal circumstances. These Scarrans are exhausted and expecting no resistance. Nothing here is a threat to them. They've let their guard down. It will be easy to sneak in and take their weapons without being spotted."

Crichton bit his lip for a moment, mulling things over, before he said, "I still don't like it."

"Me neither," Chiana agreed.

Aeryn sighed somewhat irritably. "Whether you like it or not, it is our only option."

Crichton ran a hand over his mouth. He didn't like it, but he knew Aeryn was right. They had no other choice. "She's right."

Chiana looked at him with surprise. "But Crichton - "

"Chiana," he cut her off and brought his eyes up to meet hers. "Aeryn's right," he repeated firmly.

The Nebari bit her lip in unease, then asked, "W-well what we supposed to do 'till the sleep cycle?"

Crichton shifted to face his wife again, awaiting her answer.

"We wait."

* * *

"Are they asleep yet?" Crichton whispered to Aeryn, who was looking around the corner again. 

She sat back and nodded. "Yes, but we should wait another half arn to make sure they're all really asleep."

"Frell this," Chiana growled; she sat huddled up against Crichton, trying to keep warm in the cold night air. "I hate waiting."

Crichton reached his arm around the young Nebari, holding her closer. Turning to his wife again, he said, "How many are keeping watch?"

Aeryn drew her knees up as she zipped up her coat. "Two."

"Crichton, why is your planet so f-frelling cold?" Chiana growled, her teeth slightly chattering. "I'm gonna freeze to d-death before the a-action starts."

"You're not gonna freeze to death, Pip," he said with a small smile, tightening his arm around her. "I won't let you." He kissed her on the top of her head.

She smiled and snuggled closer.

Crichton turned to look at Aeryn, who was once again peering around the corner at the Scarrans.

"How does it look?" he asked quietly.

"It looks good, from what I can tell," Aeryn replied as she leaned back against the wall. "None of them have so much as twitched, and the watchmen are practically falling asleep on their feet."

"I d-didn't think S-Scarrans could be s-so careless," Chiana murmured.

"They get tired just like everyone else, Chiana," Aeryn stated.

"Well yeah, b-but..." Chiana shivered and muttered, "N-nevermind."

"When can we move?" Crichton asked.

Aeryn glanced around the corner before answering. "Soon. I want to wait a bit longer."

"If we wait m-much longer I'll b-be too c-cold to do anything," Chiana stuttered between chattering teeth.

"Just a few more hundred microts," said Aeryn. "These watchmen look like they could fall over any moment."

"Somehow I doubt they will," Crichton mumbled.

Aeryn looked at him, but said nothing.

They sat in silence, waiting.

* * *

"John," Aeryn's gentle voice came; a soft whisper, tinted with urgency. She nudged him slightly and said a bit firmer. "John!" 

Crichton slowly came out of sleep, peeling his eyes open. He didn't know how or when he fell asleep, but he felt embarrassed by it, and annoyed with himself. His limbs were stiff from the cold and he reached up to rub a knot out of his neck.

"What's going on?" he asked drowsily.

Aeryn's eyes met his, a silent message passing between them, anticipation and excitement hanging in the air. "It's time."

His heart skipped a beat and he sat up straight. This was it; they were going to save their child, erase all the horror that had taken place. They were going to fix everything. His heart beat faster against his chest.

"Pip." He gently shook the sleeping Nebari. "Chiana."

She shifted and stretched, then muttered, "Whaddaya want old man?"

"It's time to go kick some Scarran ass," he said with a small smile.

At that, she sat up and scrubbed the sleep from her eyes. "About time," she said with a yawn.

"The watchmen are still awake," Aeryn reported in a hushed voice. "But barely. We just might be able to pull this off."

Crichton struggled to his feet, stretching his stiff legs and shaking them. "All righty, let's do this thing."

* * *

_If I had Wynona, this wouldn't be so bad,_ Crichton told himself as he used a shaking hand to wipe the cold perspiration from his forehead. Maybe having Wynona in his possession again would make him feel more protected and perhaps a bit more confident, but it wouldn't ease the hard knot of fear in his stomach. 

He glanced back over his shoulder at the watchman snoozing on a nearby crate. A chill ran down his spine as he imagined what might happen if the Scarran woke up and saw him there.

_Stop it, John,_ he scolded himself. _You've got a job to do._

He glanced around the small camp and spotted Aeryn slipping a carbine from a sleeping Scarran with ease. Chiana looked about as nervous as he was, if not more; yet she still managed to complete her task.

Crichton swallowed in a dry, constricted throat and moved his gaze back to his current target. The sleeping Scarran lay only a couple feet away, his face turned toward Crichton. The large carbine lay right next to the alien, glistening in the moonlight.

_Just reach out and grab it_, Crichton instructed himself. _It's that easy_.

Holding his breath, he reached out a trembling hand towards the weapon. He froze, his hand hovering over the rifle as he glanced once more at the Scarran. The alien didn't stir, and still holding his breath, Crichton placed his hand on the Scarran rifle.

Nothing happened. Crichton slowly let out his breath in relief. Swallowing hard, he cautiously began to bring the rifle towards him. He held the weapon in a tight grasp and glanced again at the sleeping Scarran soldier before shifting to back away.

In an instant, the Scarran bolted up-right and grabbed Crichton by the neck. Crichton's blood ran cold and his heart pounded in his chest. The Scarran tightened his grip, making Crichton gasp for air.

"What do you think you're doing, _Human?_" the Scarran snarled.

Crichton was only concentrating on trying to loosen the Scarran's thick hand with his numb fingers.

The alien's reptilian eyes narrowed sharply and a low growl came from his throat. "You will regret coming here, little Human."

There was a whine of a Scarran carbine, and for a moment Crichton feared that another Scarran had woken and was about to shoot him. He jolted in surprise from three pulse blasts, and sparks showered over him and the Scarran. He held his breath, but he felt no pain. The Scarran in front of him went lax and began to slump forward; Crichton realized with a pang of panic that he was going to get crushed.

He couldn't escape from the force of the alien collapsing, and he fell to the ground beneath the heavy body. The hard hit to his head and the weighty pressure of the Scarran on his chest dazed him.

There were loud sounds around him: shouting, gun fire, explosions. He tried to push the Scarran off him so that he could get to cover, but the body was immovable.

"Crichton!" Chiana's head popped into view, fear in her expression.

"Pip," he wheezed. "Get this thing off me."

Chiana shoved with all her might, and with Crichton's help, managed to roll the dead Scarran off him. "Here, take this." She handed him a pulse rifle.

Pulse blasts whizzed past them and Chiana spun around to fire off a few rounds. Then she turned back to Crichton and shouted, "Come on!"

Grabbing hold of his sleeve, she hurriedly lead him over behind a stack of crates, just barely dodging the pulse blasts.

"Where's Aeryn?" Crichton yelled over all the noise.

"She's covering the ship for us."

A crate above them exploded, shards showering down on them.

"Damn it," Crichton hissed. "We have got to get out of here or we're gonna be Scarran chow."

Chiana shifted to fire a few more times at the group of Scarrans. She moved back just in time to get out of the way of a barrage of blaster fire.

"This was a really _frelling_ bad idea," Chiana grumbled. "I knew this wasn't going to work."

"How are we supposed to make it over to the ship?"

The Nebari shook her head. "Dunno, old man."

A blast hit the ground beside them, throwing chunks of dirt into the air and raining down on them.

Crichton's anger flared and he leaned around the crates to shoot a round of pulse blasts at their opponents.

"Chiana, we have _got_ to move!" he said firmly.

"_You _move, then!" she screeched with a snap of her head. "I'm not going out there!"

Crichton looked towards the Scarran vessel. It was only a few yards away; if he made a run for it, he might be able to make it. Maybe.

Desperation overran reason.

"Chiana, cover me."

"_What?_" She looked at him, her eyes wide with panic. "What are you gonna do?"

"I'm gonna make a run for the ship," he explained.

"No frelling way!" she exclaimed. "You're fahrbot, Crichton! You'll get killed!"

"Just cover me, Chiana!" he shouted impatiently.

Before she could argue, he dove out into the open.

His heart raced, adrenaline pumped through his body, his legs carried him faster than he ever thought possible, while at the same time it all seemed to be going so slow. He felt the heat of pulse blasts whizzing past him, just inches off, singing his clothes. Dirt and crates around him exploded into clouds of metal shards and chunks of earth. Scarrans were yelling at him and at each other; Aeryn and Chiana's voices were shouting at him to hurry. Once he laid eyes on Aeryn, his stomach flip-flopped and he pushed himself to go faster.

Crichton dove over the last few feet, hitting the ground hard and rolling to a stop. He immediately got up into a crouch, breathing heavily. Aeryn grabbed him by the collar and forcefully pushed him into the Scarran ship.

"Chiana, come on!" Aeryn bellowed at the Nebari.

Crichton turned just in time to see Chiana darting towards them, running up to the ship. Time seemed to go in slow motion as he watched as a pulse blast hit her square in the back. His entire body froze solid as she stumbled and fell face-first into the dirt. He would have called her name, he was about to, but he was stunned at seeing a thick, white substance pouring out of her instead of blood.

He had seen that liquid before.

The _thing_ that looked like Chiana got on her elbows and clawed at the ground, crying to them, tears streaming down her face. But Crichton just remained still, staring at the open hole in her back, watching the glowing organic motors and the white blood leak from her. He couldn't move.

Aeryn ran up to him and pulled him inside the ship, just barely moving out of the way of a rain of blasts. She slammed her hand on the controls to seal the doors and darted to the piloting console.

Crichton didn't even notice the rocking of the ship as they took off, still being attacked by the Scarrans. He slumped against the bulkhead and slid down to the floor, frozen in shock.

To Be Continued


	9. Chapter 9

**Bigguy204: **Thank you for all your great advice and construtive critism! I really appreciate that. I will try to apply what you've said to my writing in the future. :)

**

* * *

**

**2**

Crichton wasn't sure how much time had passed before he finally snapped back into reality and noticed Aeryn kneeling in front of him, her eyes glistening with concern, her forehead creased in worry. When he at last met her eyes, she reached out to cradle his face, stroking his cheek softly with one hand.

"She was a bioloid, Aeryn," he croaked in a near whisper. "She was with me for days...and I never even...I didn't..."

"She fooled us both, John," Aeryn replied gently. "Bioloids are built for the sole purpose of deceiving the people the original is closest to."

His eyes darkened and he said, "I figured it out before, with the bioloid of you."

She studied him and swallowed.

"Why would they send it down to Earth?" Crichton asked, his voice sharpening. "Why would they do that, Aeryn?"

Aeryn took a brief moment before answering. "Perhaps Staleek wanted to always know where you were. That's probably how the squad that came for you found us."

He continued to stare at her for a moment, then looked away, anger flickering across his face. "So they have Chiana."

"It doesn't matter," she reminded him softly. "We're going to change all this. Everyone will be safe soon, including our son."

At the mention of their child, Crichton looked up at her again, his expression softening. She smiled faintly at him and brushed her knuckles down his face. He startled her when he reached up to place his hand behind her neck and kissed her, pressing his mouth firmly against hers. She responded more gently, hoping to soothe him. He softened his lips against her tenderness and slowly pulled back, leaning his forehead against hers.

"I'd be lost without you," he whispered.

Aeryn smiled softly and gently brushed her nose against his. "Well it's a good thing I'm coming with you on this suicide mission, then," she teased.

Crichton chuckled, making her smile broaden.

"Now, are you going to be all right?" she asked.

He nodded, still smiling slightly. "Yeah, I'll be fine," he lied. Burying his shock and hurt from the recent discovery, he looked over at the view screen. "Where are we?"

"Orbiting Earth."

His face fell and a shadow cast over his eyes. Shakily getting to his feet, he walked over to the window. He braced himself against a chair as he gazed at the ashen planet.

It didn't even remotely look like Earth anymore. Almost the entire surface was covered with a murky layer of gray and black clouds, and whatever land was visible looked scorched and ruined.

Aeryn placed her hand comfortingly on his shoulder and put the other over his still hand, squeezing gently.

Turning away from the view, he swallowed and said, "Let's get this over with."

Aeryn didn't say a word as he sat in the pilot's seat and pulled out the folded pages of wormhole equations.

* * *

He had hardly set to work when he realized that he didn't need his pages of notes - he still remembered it all.

Aeryn had sat quietly in the co-pilot's seat, watching. When the blue funnel opened before them at last, she sat up straight and raised her chin, as if the wormhole were some enemy to stand tall against.

Crichton looked back at the swirling blue tunnel and his stomach knotted up. Wormholes always gave him an odd mix of feelings, but going into unrealized realities or back in time gave him a whole different level of unease.

"Are you sure you can do this?" Aeryn's voice came quietly.

He hardened himself against the fear swirling in his gut, blocking it off as he glowered at the wormhole. "Yes," he answered.

And he _was_ going to do it. Nothing was going to stop him. The entire Human race and his son depended on it. He was going to fix this.

Determination overran fear, leaving him with a sense of calm.

Aeryn stood up and walked over to stand behind him, placing her hands on his shoulders. "Let's go save our son, then."

* * *

"Aeryn, you can't!" Crichton snapped, his frustration finally making its way into his voice.

"Why the frell not?" she hissed at him.

"I already told you! The other you and me are down on the planet right now. We can't _both_ be on Moya, or everyone will start asking questions!"

Aeryn crossed her arms. "And just what will be your excuse for being here?"

"You told me to stay, remember?" he reminded her. "I'll just say I stayed behind to watch after Little D."

"John, I am not going to sit in here while the Scarrans board and attack!" she snapped. "And I want to see my son!"

His features softened and he said gently, "I know, Baby. But we can't screw this up. If everyone thinks we're both on Moya, it'll cause problems." He reached out to her. "Honey..."

She took a step back out of his reach, looking at him with dark eyes. When she spoke, her voice was flat. "Make sure you get a pulse pistol." And turning her back to him, she plopped down into a seat.

Crichton watched her for a moment, wanting to say something to her, something to make it better. But no words came to him, and turning around, he opened the door at the back of the ship, glanced over his shoulder at his wife, then stepped out onto the bronze floor of Moya.

A sudden wave of nostalgia washed over him; he hadn't realized how much he missed the leviathan until now. He strolled over to one of the golden ribs lining the wall and pressed his palm against it, stroking the warm metal. Moya seemed to hum in response and he smiled. Resting his forehead against the rib, he closed his eyes and just listened to the soft sounds that the leviathan emitted.

After another moment, he reluctantly moved away from the wall and stepped into the next passageway. He couldn't get distracted; he had a job to do.

He estimated that it'd be maybe a half arn to an arn before the Scarrans showed up. First he was going to get a pulse pistol to put in his empty holster, then go see Little D. The thought of seeing his son again made his heart skip a beat with excitement.

After going to the closest maintenance bay and retrieving a pulse pistol, he made his way to his and Aeryn's quarters. Chiana was watching after the baby, and his quarters was as good a place as any to start looking for her.

Sure enough, as he came around a bend in the corridor leading to his quarters, he heard raised voices. It made him smile broadly.

"Frell off, Rygel!" came Chiana's shrieking voice.

"I want to watch after him!" the Hynerian insisted.

"Crichton and Aeryn left him with _me_, not you!" she snapped.

"_I _carried him in my own stomach!" Rygel boomed. "I have more right to take care of him than you do, tralk!"

"Hey guys," Crichton interrupted, still smiling widely.

Both aliens immediately turned to face him.

Chiana's brow furrowed. "Hey old man. I thought you and Aeryn left."

Crichton's eyes were drawn to his son cradled in her arms. It took nearly everything he had to keep himself from rushing over to his child.

"Aeryn wanted me to stay," he replied, tearing his gaze from little D'Argo to look at Chiana again.

Chiana smiled. "What, she doesn't trust me?"

"Of course she doesn't!" Rygel retorted. "Nobody in their right mind trusts you!"

"Shut up, Rygel!" she scowled.

Crichton only chuckled as he walked over to Chiana. He looked down at his son, who broke out into a bright smile and giggled at seeing him. It made Crichton's eyes sting with tears, but he quickly blinked them away.

"Just motherly concern, is all," he said softly. "And I think she wants some time alone for a while."

"Well here," Chiana said, easing little D'Argo into his father's arms. "He's all yours."

Rygel grumbled in disappointment and turning his throne sled, he hovered out of the room.

Chiana put her hand gently on Crichton's shoulder. "Hey old man, you okay?"

Crichton snapped back into reality and tried to regain his composure. "Yeah Chi, I'm fine."

"Okay."

She turned to leave, but Crichton said, "Chiana?"

"Yeah?"

For a second, he stared at her in silence, then he reached out an arm to wrap around her as he pulled her tight against him in a warm hug. He affectionately nuzzled his nose into her hair, then kissed the top of her head.

Chiana leaned back to look at him, blushing faintly. "You sure you're okay, Crichton?"

"Never better," he answered, stroking her cheek with the back of his hand. It was just so good to see her again - the _real_ her.

"You're acting kinda weird," she told him gently.

Crichton smiled softly. "Just...happy, is all."

She gave him a small grin, and taking his hand she kissed his fingers softly.

"_Commander!_" Pilot's urgent voice split through the peaceful air, startling them both. "_There is a Scarran dreadnaught not far from us, and it's closing in quickly!_"

He cursed under his breath; that was fast - too fast.

"W-well let's starburst!" Chiana suggested.

"We can't leave; Aeryn's still down on the planet," Crichton reminded her as he carefully laid baby D'Argo into his bed.

_Aeryn, please stay in the ship_, he silently prayed.

"Well what are we gonna do? Just let 'em board?" she asked, her voice trembling with fear.

"We don't have a choice, Chiana. Besides, we don't even know if they're after us."

"_They are heading straight for us, Commander!_" Pilot reported.

Chiana looked at Crichton with wide eyes.

"Okay...maybe they are," he mumbled.

"What the frell do they want?"

"Chances are, me."

"But...but why?"

Crichton sighed with true reluctance. "Chiana, I don't know. But we'll find out soon enough."

Suddenly all the lights went out, and the red emergency lights flashed on. A gruff Scarran voice came through the clamshells, echoing throughout the ship.

"_Residents of leviathan, prepare to be boarded. Do not _-"

"Frell," Chiana hissed over the echoing voice. She shuffled her feet in fear. "Crichton...I don't like this."

"Me neither," he said, walking towards the door.

She followed after him. "W-where are you going?"

Turning to face her, Crichton said, "I'm gonna go meet our guests. You stay here with D'Argo."

"But Crichton - "

"Chiana, just do it!" he shouted before heading back down the corridor.

Rygel zoomed out into the hallway and bellowed. "Crichton! Why the yotz aren't we starbursting?"

"Shut up, Sparky," Crichton replied distractedly as he pushed past the Hynerian.

"You can't tell me what to do!" Rygel huffed, following the Human. "You should have more respect for me after I carried your offspring in my own stomach! That's a royal honor!"

"Buckwheat, shut the hell up and go back to your quarters!" Crichton yelled impatiently, picking up his pace.

Moya suddenly rocked and groaned, knocking Crichton off balance. Moya slowly went upright again.

"Pilot!" Crichton shouted as he broke into a near run. "What was that? Did the Scarrans just board?"

"_Yes, Commander!_" Pilot answered, his voice urgent.

"Damn it," Crichton growled. Then he called, "Chiana!"

"_Yeah Crichton?_" her frightened voice crackled through the comms.

"I want you to take D'Argo to Pilot's den and stay there!"

"_A-all right_."

_Aeryn, Baby, please stay put,_ he silently begged. Things were going as planned so far; he didn't want this to get screwed up.

He came to a skidding stop in front of the hangar bay door. And as soon as he stepped inside, he came face to face with a dozen Scarran pulse rifles aimed at him.

"Oh hell," he muttered.

A Scarran pushed to the front; the only one not pointing his weapon at Crichton. "John Crichton," he greeted. "Emperor Staleek has sent us to retrieve you. He wishes a word with you."

No way; he wasn't getting off Moya. He didn't trust Staleek that much.

Shaking his head, he replied, "I'm not going over there."

The Scarran snarled. "You do not have a choice, Crichton. If you will not come willingly, then we will drag you over there ourselves."

Crichton cocked his head to the side. "You forget who you're dealing with here. I control the dooms day weapon, remember?"

"The Emperor is fully aware that you possess this weapon still," the Scarran answered. "He only wishes to speak with you. You will be returned here when he is finished."

He sniggered; _Yeah right._

"You require a vessel to use this weapon," the Scarran pointed out. "You are defenseless against us now." He smiled broadly, his eyes gleaming.

"What are you? A wormhole weapon expert?" Crichton said sarcastically. "_Did you write Wormholes For Dummies?_ I don't think so. You think you know everything about _my_ wormhole weapon? Just try me!"

The group of Scarrans shifted uncertainly, some of them looking a bit nervous. But the Scarran standing in front of Crichton didn't seem to be effected as easily.

"I was there during the war," he growled. "You had to use this ship in order to fire the weapon."

Crichton titled his head again. "Pilot?" he began, a cocky smile forming on his lips.

"_Yes, Commander?_" Pilot's voice came.

"Power up the wormhole weapon," Crichton instructed. "And if anybody tries to drag me off this ship, then my last order is for you to pulverize the Scarran dreadnaught."

The group of Scarrans bristled in anger and growled, all baring their teeth.

"_Er...yes, Commander_," Pilot replied. "_Of course_."

Crichton kept his eyes on the Scarran in front of him, still tilting his head and smiling. "Now, if your Emperor is so desperate to have a little chat, then he's welcome to come onboard."

The Scarran scowled, then turned and ordered one of his men to send a transmission to Emperor Staleek.

Crichton's hopes rose; this was going well.

* * *

When Staleek descended down the ramp from his ship, he didn't look happy. This of course only made Crichton feel more victorious. He stood calmly in the hangar bay, his hands on his hips, waiting patiently for the Emperor to reach him.

He stole a quick glance at the ship where Aeryn was hiding, and silently begged her again to stay there.

"John Crichton," Staleek greeted as he came to a stop a few paces away. His sharp yellow teeth were in plain view and his black eyes glowered. "We meet once more."

"So what do you want, Staleek?" asked Crichton. "You interrupted my life for some big, important reason. Spit it out."

The Scarran Emperor nearly scowled, his mouth twitching. "I commend you for bringing the war between my species and the Peacekeepers to an end. But we have come to a problem."

Whoa, deja vu. He knew he'd heard the Scarran say that last time.

"And what would that be?" Crichton asked, feigning very little interest.

"You know of our Crystherium Utilia?"

"Yeah, the flower."

Staleek's expression darkened. "We have been searching for more of the Crystherium Utilia, but we have found no trace of them on any planet."

"So? What does that have to do with me?" Crichton asked, already knowing the answer and dreading how this was going to play out.

"It soon came to my mind that on Katratzi, you knew well of our delicacy," Staleek explained. His face grew colder. "You're home planet grows the Crystherium Utilia."

"So lemme guess, you want me to take you to Earth," Crichton said.

"Yes," Staleek growled.

"Why, so you can invade with all your nasty little Scarran ships?" Crichton replied in a clipped tone. "So you can toast the whole planet and turn the Human race into slaves? How about _no?_"

The Emperor snarled, his lips stretching back to show more of his ugly teeth, his eyes narrowing to slits, a low rumble coming from his throat.

"I want to keep my race alive, Crichton," he said firmly. "Not waste time attacking pathetic and weak planets."

"I know you better than that, Staleek," Crichton said in a low tone. "You're not going anywhere near Earth."

Emperor Staleek straightened his back, glowering down at Crichton. "Then you will not help to halt the extinction of the Scarran race?"

"No," Crichton answered with a shake of his head. "I'm not responsible for what happens to your race. You're their Emperor, that's your problem."

The Emperor bristled and growled, "Then you will die."

In a flash, Staleek was firing a ray of heat at Crichton's face, his black eyes bright with hate.

Crichton let out a cry of pain and instantly sank down to his knees, his head thrown back and his face scrunched up with agony. This heat probe was hotter than he had ever felt before; it was as though his flesh was boiling all down his body.

Staleek stepped up closer to Crichton and beamed. "I have very much been looking forward to your death, John Crichton."

Crichton couldn't even think; he thought that his skin was sliding off his bones now. The pain became too much, and his last coherent thought was that Aeryn would spend the rest of her life pissed off at him. Then the pain and heat stopped, and all the world went dark.

* * *

He felt cold, an icy chill running down his body. He shifted, then froze. Wasn't he supposed to be dead? The memory of Staleek burning off his face was all too clear in his mind. What had happened? Was he in an afterlife of some sort? That wouldn't do him any good, he'd be separated from all he loved for many, many more years to come.

Crichton slowly opened his eyes and blinked away the blurriness. He found himself staring up into black, bottomless eyes that were peering down blankly at him, and a withered, pale, expressionless face. He was looking at the face of the Ancient he called Einstein.

To Be Continued...


	10. Chapter 10

**Well, here it is. The last chapter(s). I posted 0 with 1 because 0 is so short. Anyways, I want to thank all you guys who stuck with me and keep on reading. I really do appreciate everyone's feedback. However, I'm not certain whether or not I will continue to post on this site. So if you guys ever want to find me and my works, you can find my stuffover at the Terra Firma boards. Thanks again everyone, and I hope you all enjoy the last chapter. :)**

**

* * *

**

**1**

Einstein blinked down at Crichton in silence, standing as stiff as a statue with his hands calmly folded in front of him. Crichton's brow furrowed as he looked up at the Ancient in confusion, still wondering what had happened. Did Einstein bring him here before he died? The alien was obviously not going to talk unless he did.

Crichton slowly sat up and cleared his throat. He glanced around before looking at Einstein again. "What happened?"

"You ceased to exist," Einstein replied.

"You mean I died."

"That is correct."

Crichton sighed and rubbed hard at his eyes. "Why did you bring me here?"

"You were in a time that was not your own. Why?"

Crichton looked away; he should've known that was what this was about. "You should know the answer to that," he replied as he got to his feet.

"I cannot permit you to further put your time line at risk," Einstein stated. "Return to your time, or you will have to be removed."

Crichton went still, his eyes locked on the alien's. "But...I...you can't...Just give me another chance, that's all I ask. Just one more time; please - you've...you've gotta let me try."

For a moment, Einstein only studied him in silence, his dull face giving nothing away. Then he said, "You would risk the distortion of your entire time line?"

"My time line is already distorted," said Crichton. "My whole planet is destroyed, my entire race enslaved, my friends and family tortured and killed. I have nothing left! I screwed over everybody I know! I can't possibly make things any worse. You have to give me a chance. Even if I die, I have to at least try."

Einstein took a moment before responding. "If that is what you so desire."

Crichton let out a breath of relief. "What about Aeryn? What'd you do with her?"

The Ancient merely raised his hand, pointing behind Crichton. When Crichton turned around, he found his module parked on the iceberg and Aeryn inside, unconscious. His heart jumped in relief at seeing her and resisted the urge to rush over to her - he knew she wouldn't wake up while he was still here.

He turned to face Einstein again, but he found that the alien was already gone. Letting out a light sigh, he headed back to his module.

* * *

Crichton twisted around to look at Aeryn again. She was still unconscious; it had been well over an arn since they had left Einstein's iceberg. Waiting for her to wake up was killing him.

He glanced up through the cockpit window and smiled at seeing the sunshine and lush green trees.

There was a creak of leather and he immediately turned to look at Aeryn. Much to his relief, she was coming to. She placed her hand on her forehead, her brow creased and she opened her eyes.

Crichton smiled and said, "Morning, sunshine."

At first she only stared at him blankly, then she sat bolt upright. "John! Oh Cholak!" Placing her hands on his face, she looked him over with urgency. "I saw Staleek use his heat probe on you, and you just...I thought..."

"Aeryn, it's okay," he assured her, taking one of her hands in his and placing a kiss on her knuckles.

"But I saw you...you...you _died_, John," she said shakily. "What happened?"

"Einstein - he pulled us out," Crichton answered. "He didn't like that I was messing with the time line."

She became very serious, tightening her hand around his. "Why did he let you go?"

"Basically I begged him to give me another chance to fix everything I screwed up."

"And...he let you?"

"Yeah," he said with a nod.

Aeryn glanced out the cockpit window. "And where are we now?"

"Earth."

She returned her gaze to him, wide eyed. "You already went back? When is this?"

"Well, right now, the other us are sitting on Moya trying to figure out what to do and arguing about whether or not I should go get the wormhole knowledge from Einstein," Crichton explained.

"What's the plan?"

"Well, I figure, if I can get the flowers to Staleek before the other me basically leads him through the wormhole, that I can close the wormhole and make a swap for D'Argo."

"And you think that will work?"

"I've thought it over a lot...I'm pretty sure it'll work," he said with a furrow of his eyebrows. "But that means that we're pressed for time. We'll have to hurry."

She pursed her lips and nodded in understanding.

Crichton nodded back slightly, then shifted to turn back around in his seat.

Aeryn's voice stilled him. "John?"

"Yeah Honey?" he said softly, meeting her eyes.

She abruptly kissed him; it was soft but deep, and Crichton's stomach fluttered when she brushed her tongue over the roof of his mouth and tugged gently at his lip.

He smiled when she released him, and said a bit breathlessly, "What was that for?"

"I thought you died," she replied quietly, stroking his face.

Crichton raised an eyebrow. "What, I only get a kiss when you think I had died?"

A grin broke out on her face and she caught his mouth with hers again, a bit harder this time, more passionate. He took control this time, suckling at her top lip, then pressing his tongue firmly against hers. They drew back with difficulty, lips clinging together just a few more seconds.

"When this is all over," Crichton breathed, "and we get back to Moya, I'm locking us in our room for a while."

Aeryn smiled and said, "I can hardly wait."

He swallowed and fought back the urge to kiss her again, or they'd never get out of here. "We gotta move," he said.

"Right," she said, sitting up straight, putting on her soldier composure.

Slamming his hand down on the proper button, the cockpit rose and Crichton climbed out, closely followed by Aeryn.

"Are we going to your father for help this time?" she asked.

Crichton didn't answer, staring off at nothing.

Aeryn looked at him with raised eyebrows. "John?"

He blinked and shook his head. "Uh...right, Dad. Yeah, I think we should. He has connections that can get us what we need and fast. Besides, I haven't got the slightest idea where to find wild Birds of Paradise."

"All right then, let's go."

* * *

"Don't you remember what happened the last time?" Aeryn insisted.

Crichton rolled his eyes. "_Yes_, I remember, Aeryn. I only got my head clobbered."

"That's exactly my point - sneaking in is not a good idea."

"Then we'll knock."

She gave him a sideways glance.

"Aeryn, what do you think is gonna happen?" he said impatiently. "Come on! It's in the middle of the afternoon this time!"

"Let's just get this over with, John," Aeryn said irritably. "And I'll go first this time." She stepped out of the cover of the bushes.

He sighed with annoyance and followed her.

Crichton couldn't help but be a little anxious - he hadn't seen his father since before the Scarran attack on Earth, and had believed him to be dead. Plus, their reunion had been cut extremely short by the invasion.

They came to a stop at the back door and Aeryn peered in.

"Anything?" he asked quietly.

She shook her head. "I see no signs of anyone being home. Your father was gone - out of tahown? - the last time; are you sure he's here?"

"Out of _town_," he corrected. "And this is about a day earlier, so he should be home."

"And you said he doesn't leave the house unless everything is locked, correct?"

"Yeah."

She reached for the door handle and slowly pulled; the door slid open. Looking at him, she said, "Well I guess he's home."

Crichton pulled the door open enough for them to squeeze through, then stood, unsure what to do next.

"Well?" Aeryn asked with an arched eyebrow.

He moistened his lips with his tongue, hesitated, then said in a louder voice, "Dad?"

Aeryn looked at him uncertainly. "Are you sure that's a good idea?"

Crichton shrugged. "What else am I supposed to do?"

There was a thump from upstairs, drawing their attention.

"Dad, it's all right," he called. "It's me - I'm home."

They heard footsteps coming down the stairs and Jack appeared from around the corner. He stopped and stared down at them in shock and hesitation.

"John?" he asked cautiously.

Crichton smiled faintly. "Hey Dad."

Jack smiled now, and hurried down the remaining steps. He embraced his son warmly, and whispered, "You're back."

"Yeah," Crichton replied quietly, somewhat sorrowfully, knowing he wouldn't be able to stay for as long as he would like.

"Why didn't you call?" Jack asked as he pulled back. "You should've let me know you were coming."

Crichton's smile died down. "Dad...we need your help."

Jack's expression changed to one of concern. "What's the matter, son? What's happened?"

"We're kinda pressed for time, so I can't tell you everything. But our son's been taken by the Scarrans -"

"You have a child!" Jack interrupted with joy.

"Yes, Dad. And we - "

"What's his name? Why didn't you tell me?"

"His name is D'Argo," Crichton answered, getting a bit frustrated. "Listen Dad, I'm sorry, but we really can't do this. Aeryn and I can't stay long."

Jack's joyfulness died down. "Sorry, son. Continue."

"The Scarrans have our son, and we need something from Earth in order to get him back."

"What, John? What is it? Whatever it is, I'll get it for you."

Crichton licked his lips and said, "We need some Bird of Paradise."

Jack stared at his son in silence, blinking. "You need _flowers?_"

"These flowers are vital to the Scarran race," said Aeryn. "They need them to survive."

"Well why don't they just get them from wherever they got them before?" asked Jack.

"The place they got them has been destroyed," Aeryn answered steadily.

"Well how did they know that they were on Earth?"

"Because I..." Crichton stopped and shook his head. "Look it doesn't matter, Dad. What's important is that they have our son, and we need these flowers to get him back."

"How many do you need?" Jack asked seriously.

"Uh..." Crichton exchanged glances with his wife. "A handful...maybe...I dunno, I can only take so much in my module."

"Right," Jack nodded. And he turned to grab the phone. "I'll get right on it."

* * *

Crichton leaned back against the wall and scrubbed at his eyes, listening to his father's muffled voice in the other room as he made his phone calls. Jack had said it would take a while, but to Crichton it had felt like hours.

"John," came Aeryn's soft voice.

Dropping his hands, he straightened his back and looked up at her. "Hey Honey."

She looked concerned as she took his hand. "Come on, I made coffee."

"_You_ made coffee?" he asked in surprise.

Aeryn nodded and smiled faintly. "Olivia taught me when we first came to Earth."

Crichton's heart sunk as he realized once again how much he had missed out on teaching Aeryn about Earth because of his stupidity. He watched her sorrowfully as she poured the coffee into a mug. Her forehead was still wrinkled in worry as she handed him the cup.

"Thanks," he murmured, and took a sip.

"Okay!" Jack's voice came loudly as he walked into the kitchen. "We're all set; I've got a batch of Bird of Paradise headin' over right now."

"So soon?" Aeryn asked, and she looked at Crichton with hope in her eyes.

"Well they're not hard to get, Aeryn," Jack explained. "They're rather common flowers."

"That's great Dad," said Crichton. "We really appreciate it."

"Are you sure this is going to work, son?" Jack asked. "You really think the Scarrans will give your son back? From what you've told me about them before, they don't sound trustworthy."

"We don't trust them," Aeryn said darkly.

"Not at all," Crichton agreed. "But yes, I do think they will give us D'Argo back for the flowers. They need these plants to survive, Dad. It's what they've built their entire empire on."

Jack still looked doubtful, but he said nothing.

"How long until the Crystherium gets here?" asked Aeryn.

"About an hour," answered Jack.

Crichton sighed and scrubbed at his eyes again.

"Is that a problem?" Jack said.

"No, Dad, it's fine," Crichton replied.

Jack stared at his son skeptically. "What aren't you telling me, John?"

"Nothing, Dad," Crichton said as he looked up at Jack.

"Then why do I feel like you're holding something back?" Jack asked firmly.

Crichton stared at his father, glanced at his wife, then looked down into his cup and shook his head. "I dunno."

Jack looked as though he were about to start an argument, but Aeryn spoke first.

"Jack, may I speak with John for a moment?"

Jack let out a deep breath, then nodded. Once he was out of the kitchen, Aeryn sat down in a chair beside her husband.

"What's the matter, John?" she asked quietly.

He shook his head. "It just seems too easy."

Her eyebrows furrowed. "What do you mean?"

"Our plans never go this smoothly, Aeryn."

"Well perhaps fate has decided that we've been through enough dren lately."

When he didn't reply, she asked, "Do you think something's going to happen?"

Crichton pursed his lips. "I dunno; I just have this...feeling."

Aeryn ran her tongue over her lips, thinking things over. "How long do you think we have until the other versions of ourselves get here?"

"Till nightfall...maybe," he answered. "We should leave by then, just to be safe."

She suddenly sat upright, as if something had just occurred to her. "John...how is your father going to react to that? To him it'll be like we just left and then came back a few arns later, with no memory of ever coming here before hand and - "

"I know," Crichton interrupted. "That's been buggin' me."

"Wouldn't that...put the time line at risk?" she asked.

"It could really frell things up, yeah."

"Is there a way that we can fix it?"

He let out a sigh as he leaned back in his chair, scratching the side of his head. "I've been thinking about it; I think I have an idea."

"What?"

His forehead creased just slightly in a way that told her she wasn't going to like it.

"John, just tell me."

"I figure, if we leave here in time, we can get through the wormhole and seal it up before the other us get there. That would keep them away from Earth."

"How do you know that?" Aeryn questioned. "He's _you_, John. You had the wormhole knowledge, then. He could just open it back up!"

His brow furrowed even further and his mouth set in a grim line. "Yeah, I thought of that too." He lifted his hands to his face and scrubbed his eyes. "I dunno, maybe we should just do nothing."

"But John - "

"Aeryn, we have bigger things to worry about. If we try to keep ourselves from getting to Earth...it'll just screw things up even more. Let's just leave it alone. I can't change it anyways."

She stared at him, her mouth moving slightly like she wanted to say something, try to argue with him. But after a moment she closed her mouth and swallowed. "Well, you know more about this wormhole stuff than I do," she said.

Crichton smiled at her softly, and taking her hand, he got to his feet, pulling her up with him. "Come on, we've only got a couple arns to spend here. Let's use that time wisely."

Aeryn grinned brightly and followed her husband.

* * *

Crichton couldn't keep the smile off his face as he held the candy bar in front of Aeryn, who had her back snuggled against his chest, her head resting in the curve of his shoulder.

"Before we do this, are you sure you didn't have any when you were here last time?" he asked tentatively. If his family showed her chocolate already, without him present, he didn't know what he'd do.

Aeryn shook her head. "I didn't want to try it without you."

_You freakin' idiot,_ he thought to himself. _Why'd you have to be a such a cold bastard back then?_

"Good," he replied, hiding his resentment, and peeled back the wrapper of the Hershey's chocolate bar. "I would've given you some on Moya, but I ate it all before we...came to an understanding."

"Even if you had any left, I doubt we would've had time to eat any," she remarked, smiling up at him mischievously.

His stomach flip-flopped and he swallowed. "K, Baby, don't do that right now. Just eat the chocolate."

Her eyes glistened knowingly, and turning back around, she snapped off a piece of the chocolate and put it in her mouth. Crichton held his breath, waiting in anticipation.

"Hmm...it's thick," Aeryn observed.

"Yeah, but what do you think of how it tastes?"

"It's not bad."

"_Not bad?_ Aeryn...it's..." He opened and closed his mouth, at a loss for words.

Aeryn reached for another piece. "I could get used to it."

Crichton's mouth twitched up into a smile, knowing now that she was teasing him. "So you like it, then."

She shifted to look up at him, her eyes sparkling. "We should bring some of this back to Moya," she purred.

He forced himself to pull his eyes away from her and reached for the chocolate. "I told you not to do that right now."

"I'm not doing anything," she replied with a playful grin.

"Very funny," he murmured, and put a square of chocolate in his mouth.

They both went completely still when they heard the doorbell ring. Both leapt to their feet and rushed to the door of Crichton's old room. They stood at the top of the stairs, looking down at the front door. Jack was at the door, speaking with a man in a suit, holding a bouquet of Bird of Paradise. Crichton's heart raced as he watched his father take the flowers and set them down on a nearby table.

"One more thing, Sir," the man in the suit said. "We need to speak with Commander Crichton."

Aeryn looked up at Crichton with a mix of fear and confusion.

"My son hasn't been here for at least a year," Jack replied firmly.

Crichton then realized that there was not one, but two men standing on the porch. They were from the government, obviously. But what did they want with him? How did they even know he was here?

"Sir, we're going to have to ask you to step aside," one of the men said, holding out an FBI badge.

"John hasn't been here since last year!" Jack snapped. "You guys have gone paranoid!"

"Mr. Crichton, we tracked a craft with the same radar signature as Commander Crichton's _Farscape_ module entering the atmosphere two hours ago. We know it landed near here. We know he's here."

"Damn it," Crichton hissed, and Aeryn glanced at him again.

"What do you think they want with you?" she whispered.

He shook his head. "I dunno, but we have to get out of here."

"How are we supposed to get the Crystherium?"

Before he could answer, the two agents pushed past Jack and entered the house. One went off to search the lower level, and another was heading for the stairs.

"Ah hell." Crichton grabbed Aeryn's arm and they dived back into his room. He shut the door as quietly as he could.

"John, what are you doing?"

Crichton was nervously chewing on his lip, frantically looking around his room. There had to be a hiding place or a way out of here...

The door was opened loudly and the FBI agent stalked in. He froze in his tracks when he laid eyes on Crichton, and Crichton was glued to the spot, breathing heavily.

"Commander Cri - "

Aeryn lashed out, her hand coming down hard on the side of the man's head. He was knocked out cold, flat on the floor, in a matter of seconds.

Aeryn shook her head. "You Humans are more susceptible to the pantak jab than most species."

"In this case I'm gonna say that's a good thing," Crichton breathed, his tense muscles loosening.

"There's still another one down stairs," she reminded him.

"Is he gonna be okay?" Crichton asked, pointing to the unconscious agent.

"He'll be fine, I didn't hit him that hard."

Crichton looked at her with raised eyebrows. "Aeryn, you knocked him clean off his feet with one hit! I'd say you hit him pretty hard!"

"John, he's _fine!_" she growled impatiently.

"Don't move!" a gruff voice came from the doorway, drawing both Crichton and Aeryn's attention. The other FBI agent was standing outside the door, his pistol aimed at Crichton. "John Crichton, you're to come with me."

"Boy does that sound familiar," Crichton grumbled.

"And so are you, Miss," the agent said to Aeryn.

"Now wait a minute," Crichton began.

In a flash, Aeryn's leg shot out at the man's hand, kicking the gun out his grasp. Before he could retaliate, she elbowed him in the ribs, then delivered a clean cut pantak jab. The agent hit the floor, out cold.

Crichton looked at his wife and couldn't help but fall in love with her all over again, a silly smile stretched wide across his face. "Baby, you're awesome."

She tried to hold back a smile and said, "Come on; we should leave before any more get here."

"John!" Jack's worried voice came from down the stairs. His running footsteps could be heard from inside the room, and he skidded to a stop at the door. "Son, are you all right?" he asked urgently.

"Yeah, we're good," Crichton replied cheerfully, still gazing at Aeryn.

Jack's eyes went to the two unconscious men sprawled out on the floor. He smiled faintly, then said, "You two better leave before more of them show up."

"Right, we were just saying the same thing," Crichton said, stepping over the bodies and out into the hallway, Aeryn close behind.

"I'll get the Crystherium," Aeryn said as she quickly headed down the stairs.

Crichton turned to his father. "Dad...I'm sorry we have to leave so soon."

"So am I," Jack responded, meeting Crichton's eyes. "But I understand."

"John!" Aeryn called to him. "Let's go!"

Crichton gave his father a brief hug, and without looking at him, hurried down the stairs.

* * *

"There it is," Crichton announced as the swirling blue wormhole came into view.

He heard Aeryn let out a rush of breath in relief. This wasn't over yet; anything could happen to screw this up, but Crichton had to admit that he was beginning to feel a bit more relaxed.

"Wormhole is at ninety percent stability," Crichton reported, flipping a few switches on the console. He drew his eyes back to the twirling funnel. "You ready, Aeryn?"

"Yeah," she answered firmly and without hesitation.

Crichton didn't waste another second; he slammed the piloting controls forward, directing the module into the wormhole's center at full power.

The cockpit flooded with blue light and the module began to rattle. Crichton closed his eyes and put all his brain power into focusing on their destination. When he had a lock on it, he opened his eyes again.

In the blink of an eye, he thought he saw something headed right for them. The module shook violently, as if it had just collided with something, and spun wildly.

"John!" Aeryn called over the noise. "What's going on?"

Before he could make a response, there was a bright flash of white light, signifying their exit of the wormhole. The blue light faded and stars came into view as the module gradually stopped spinning, flying smoothly. Crichton sensed more than saw the wormhole closing, sealing itself up. His heart sank down to his stomach.

He stared blankly out the cockpit, a bit baffled as to what exactly had happened. He thought he had seen...But then that would mean...

Aeryn was leaning over his shoulder, her hand on his arm. "John?"

He snapped out of his thoughts. "Yeah?"

"What was that back there?" she asked.

"I uh...I'm not sure."

"Tell me what you think it was."

Crichton moved his jaw around in silence. After a while, he said, "I think...it was us."

"Us?" Aeryn repeated. "You mean our past selves?"

He nodded. "Yeah."

There was a brief silence before Aeryn said, "What effect is that going to have on the time line?"

"I dunno. But I guess we'll find out."

* * *

Crichton's heart hammered against his chest and drummed in his ears, blocking out all other sounds. His skin felt so hot that his temples were throbbing - he had never been so frightened and nervous in his life.

This was it, the moment of truth, the big finale. This was when fate had to decide whether or not to screw him and Aeryn over. This was it.

He held the bundle of flowers in his shaking hands as they were escorted to the Emperor. Aeryn displayed no hint of anxiety; she strutted along side him holding herself like a soldier. It wasn't exactly comforting.

_Hang on little D,_ Crichton thought as he pictured his infant son. _You'll be safe soon._

At least he prayed that his son would be.

Once they entered the room, Staleek's sharp eyes were immediately upon them. He sat erect in his throne, his gaze never once leaving the Birds of Paradise.

"Special delivery." Crichton spoke past the knot in his throat, but failed to sound as confident as he would've liked.

"You brought so few," Staleek pointed out gruffly.

"I can only fit so much in my module."

The Emperor's black eyes moved to Crichton. "Can more be produced from these few?"

"Oh yeah," Crichton answered. "You can grow a whole field of 'em."

At a gesture from Staleek, a nearby Scarran stepped up to Crichton and took the flowers from him.

"Now give us back our son," Aeryn demanded, her icy eyes set hard on the Scarran Emperor.

Staleek glowered at her and Crichton glanced at her with a hint of fear in his expression. He wanted to handle this carefully; things had gone too smoothly for them to screw it up now.

"First we must be sure that those are truly Crystherium," the Emperor said.

"You think we'd bring you the wrong kind?" Aeryn snapped. "You have our son! We kept our end of the bargain, now you keep yours!"

Staleek scowled, his sharp, clamped teeth showing. "You are on _my_ vessel, Officer Sun. Your offspring will not be returned to you until I have confirmation that what you have brought me is Crystherium!" Rising to his feet, he shouted to his guards, "Get them out of here!"

* * *

Aeryn paced restlessly around the cell and Crichton sat tapping his foot. Neither had spoken a word since they had been ushered out of the throne room, and the air around them was heavy with impatience and anxiety.

Aeryn flexed her fingers and started tapping them against her pulse pistol. "What the _frell_ is taking so long?" she huffed as she threw a sharp glance at the sealed doors.

Crichton looked at her but felt it was safer not to reply.

"Would you _stop_ doing that?" she snapped suddenly, glaring at him.

He immediately stopped tapping his foot and said quietly, "Sorry."

She spun around and continued pacing.

Suddenly the doors opened; Aeryn instantly went still and Crichton got to his feet.

Staleek strolled in with two guards and a female Scarran who was holding baby D'Argo.

Crichton heard Aeryn's sharp intake of breath as he stared at his son. He had thought he'd never see the little guy again. He wanted desperately to run to him, to take him in his arms and never let go. And he knew Aeryn was feeling the same thing. He reached for her still hand and squeezed it firmly.

Staleek looked at the two of them with disgust and perhaps disappointment. "You have held true to your word," he began. "And I shall hold to mine."

With a glance from the Emperor, the female stepped forward and held D'Argo out to Aeryn. Aeryn didn't hesitate; she stepped forward and hurriedly took the baby from the alien's arms. She held her child close against her chest, her arms wrapped protectively around him.

"Is...is he okay?" Crichton asked, a lump clogging his throat.

"He is unharmed," Staleek growled.

Crichton tossed a quick glower at the Scarran then looked back at his wife. "Aeryn?"

"He's perfect," she whispered, stroking their child's soft cheek with her finger.

The tone of her voice made him want to hold her, but this was not the time nor the place. Instead, he turned to face Staleek again. "So can we go now?"

"You are free to return to your vessel," the Emperor answered.

"Good."

And placing his arm protectively around Aeryn's waist, they hurried out of the cell.

* * *

Aeryn's eyes had become daggers and she was bristling with anger. Taking a step back, she tightened her arms around little D'Argo. "I said _no!_"

Crichton exhaled in frustration. "Baby, we cannot take him with us. He belongs in _this_ time. We have to leave him here!"

He glanced around the hangar bay nervously, hoping nobody was nearby to overhear this.

"I just got him back, John!" she snarled.

"I know that. But he'll be waiting for us on Moya once we get back." He stepped closer to her and said gently, "Honey, we have to leave him here. It's where he belongs."

She looked down at their son, her forehead creased, her eyes glistening. Little D'Argo smiled lazily up at them, then yawned widely, his little fist moving up near his temple. Crichton smiled faintly and stroked the baby's soft hair.

Without a word, Aeryn eased the infant into Crichton's arms.

"Hurry up," she ordered flatly, and climbed back into the module.

He drew his eyes back to his sleeping son and felt a tug on his heart. He fully understood Aeryn's reluctance, but in order to set the time line right, they had to leave him here.

He just hoped he didn't run into anybody; from their perspective, he and Aeryn had just left.

Crichton made it to their quarters without a problem. He quickly strode over to the small bed for their baby child and carefully laid him down. He paused, getting one last good look at his son. Bending down, he planted a tender kiss on D'Argo's forehead and whispered, "Good-bye, buddy. I'll see you soon."

And with that, he turned and headed back to the hangar.

* * *

Crichton decided to let his wife exit the _Farscape One_ first; she'd been so intensely eager to get out of the module and head for their quarters that Crichton had twice checked the atmospheric readings to make sure they weren't actually on the verge of blowing up. He, on the other hand, was getting nervous about landing on Moya. He could only hope that their plan had worked and everything had been fixed - most of all that everything was normal.

"_Commander Crichton_," Pilot's voice came through the comms.

Crichton smiled, happy to hear his friend's voice. "Yeah Pilot, what's up?"

"_Moya and I are happy to see you return safely_."

"Thanks man. Hey how's our kiddo doing? Pip taking good care of him?" He hoped his voice wasn't shaking too much.

"_Chiana has had some trouble in providing for your offspring_," came Pilot's reply. "_But it was nothing that she wasn't able to handle. Your son is in healthy condition_."

Crichton grinned again. "That's great news, Pilot. We'll be there in a couple minutes." He shut off the comms and said calmly, "Well everything sounds okay so far."

"Just hurry up and get us there," Aeryn said curtly.

"Honey, take it easy," he said gently.

"I _can't_ take it easy, John!" she hissed. "The last time I saw our son was when - "

She didn't finish her sentence, and he knew what she was thinking about. The air inside the module suddenly felt very cold, and he wished he could hold her.

"I know, Baby, I know," he reassured softly. "But we'll be back on Moya in a just a couple more minutes. He's there, he's safe, and he's waiting for us. Everything's going to be okay."

He expected her to question him, to doubt him, but instead she said weakly, "I hope you're right, John."

* * *

Crichton waited for Aeryn to get out of the module first. She climbed out hastily, and he expected her to bolt for their quarters as soon as her feet touched the ground. Instead, she stood completely still, staring down the corridor with a worried look in her eyes. He eased himself out onto the floor and stood beside her.

"Aeryn," He took her hand, intertwining his fingers with hers, squeezing gently. "It's gonna be okay."

It took her a moment to look at him. She swallowed and nodded silently, gripping his hand firmly.

Crichton led her down the passageway, keeping their pace smooth and casual. He didn't want her to rush herself; he wanted things to stay calm.

_God, please say it worked_, he silently prayed as they made their way to their quarters.

Once the door of their room came into view, Aeryn came to a halt.

He stopped and looked back at her, his brow wrinkled with concern. "Aeryn?"

She stared at the door in silence, then turning to him, she said shakily, "I don't know if I can...I...John, I'm scared. What if it didn't work? What if we messed something up? What if - "

"Shhh," Crichton interrupted gently, taking a step toward her. Looking into her moist blue eyes, he said, "None of that. I'm here, Aeryn. We'll go in together, make sure our son is okay."

"But what if there's something else, John?" she questioned weakly. "What if we frelled up something else?"

"Aeryn, we'll take this one step at a time. If there's something wrong, we'll deal with it together, and work something out." He reached up to stroke her cheek with the back of his hand. "Okay?"

She nodded and held his hand tighter.

"Hey!"

They both turned to find Chiana's head popping out of the doorway. She smiled shyly at them. "What're you two doing standin' out here?"

Crichton returned her grin. "Hey Pip."

"Good thing you guys came back okay," she said, walking out to stand next to them. "The little guy misses you two."

Aeryn wasn't saying anything. She wasn't even looking at Chiana; her eyes were set on the doorway.

Crichton cleared his throat. "Thanks for looking after him for us, Chi."

"No problem, old man. You know I love the little gnarl."

He glanced at his wife and then said, "Pip, if you don't mind, Aeryn and I would like some time to -"

"S-sure," she interrupted shyly. "You...you guys go ahead. I'm hungry anyways."

And with that, she stepped past them and disappeared around a bend in the corridor.

"You ready?" Crichton asked quietly, looking at Aeryn.

She nodded in response.

They carefully walked into the room, their heart beats rising. And when they came to the small bed holding their child, Aeryn inhaled sharply.

Little D'Argo, as healthy and perfect as ever, smiled upon seeing them and giggled. He clapped his hands together and kicked at the blanket covering him.

Both Crichton and Aeryn smiled broadly, tears springing to their eyes. Aeryn reached down to take him in her trembling arms. She held him close against her, her arms wrapped securely around him. Crichton leaned over her shoulder, his arms already around her waist, smiling down at the infant.

"You did it," Aeryn whispered in awe, stroking D'Argo's dark hair.

Crichton blinked back his tears and nuzzled against her. He whispered softly into her skin, "_We_ did it."

* * *

**0**

Crichton's head slammed hard against the panel in front of him, the module rocking and spinning violently. He grunted with pain, a sharp stinging stabbing into his forehead, and struggled to sit up in his seat. He grabbed at the piloting controls and fought for a moment to straighten out the module. When he finally got it smoothed out, he shut off the engine.

"Aeryn," he cried dazedly, and twisted around in his seat as best he could. "Baby, are you okay?"

Aeryn rubbed at her head, but nodded. "I'll be fine. What the frell happened? Felt like we hit something."

He shook his head. "I'm not sure."

He didn't want to say what he thought he'd seen.

Suddenly the comms crackled on the panel and Pilot's voice came through. "_Commander Crichton? Officer Sun?_"

Their eyes met in not only surprise but also in puzzlement.

"What the hell," Crichton muttered as he turned back around. He flipped on the comms and called. "Pilot, that you?"

"_Yes Commander_."

"What the hell happened?" Crichton questioned, more to himself than to Pilot. "We're not supposed to still be here," he added.

"_I do not know, Commander_," said Pilot. "_We tracked you going down the wormhole and then exiting in almost the same microt_."

Aeryn was giving Crichton a quizzical look, and he stared out at Moya completely baffled.

"_Crichton?_"

"Yeah...yeah, we're still here."

"_Chiana wishes a word with you. She says it's quite urgent_."

"Put her on," he responded blankly.

"_Hey Crichton?_" came Chiana's voice. "_You better come back to Moya_."

"Why, Chiana?" Aeryn asked. "What's going on?"

There was a long pause and no sound came from the comms.

"Chiana?" Crichton prompted, worry growing inside him.

"_It's D'Argo_," Chiana said finally.

Crichton felt his heart stop and he couldn't bring himself to move. "What about D'Argo?" he asked slowly.

"_He's...he's here. On Moya_."

No one spoke for a moment before Aeryn said loudly. "Our _son_ D'Argo?"

"_Y-yeah. Little Crichton_."

"How the hell can he be there, Chiana? The Scarrans have him!" Crichton shouted.

"_I - I dunno. I was walking passed your guys' quarters a-and I heard a baby crying. So I went in and...he was just there_," Chiana explained.

_What the hell is going on? _Crichton thought anxiously. _This better not some sick trick Staleek's playing_.

"All right, Pip," he said firmly. "We're headin' back. Meet us in the hangar bay."

Both Crichton and Aeryn were out of the module before the engine even fully powered down.

"Where is he?" Aeryn demanded at once, her piercing gaze set hard on Chiana.

"Still in your room," Chiana answered.

"And you're _sure_ it's D'Argo?" asked Crichton.

The Nebari nodded hesitantly. "P-pretty sure."

Aeryn charged for the door before Crichton had even blinked. He moved past Chiana to catch up with her.

Once they reached their quarters, Aeryn bolted over to the small bed they used for little D'Argo, Crichton close behind. Both of their breaths were taken away at the sight of their son dozing peacefully.

"It's him," Aeryn whispered in disbelief, beginning to smile. "Our son..." She reached down to pick up little D'Argo, careful not to wake him.

Crichton stared in utter confusion. "How...how did he get here?"

Aeryn shook her head. "I don't care. We have him back and he's safe."

"Yeah, but Aeryn - "

"Does it really matter?" she asked with a hint of anger.

He swallowed. "No, but I just...Aren't you even curious?"

"No," she answered sharply. Facing him again, her expression softened. "John, just be happy that we have him back."

"I _am_ happy, Aeryn," he assured her, looking into her eyes. "I just wanna know how he got here."

Aeryn smiled faintly and shrugged. "Well I guess we'll never know." Stepping past him, she said, "I'm going to clean him up."

Crichton only stared after her in complete puzzlement.

The End

* * *

Thanks again everyone:) Hope you liked it. ;) 


End file.
